Gina Six Kudo is the general manager for Cochrane Self Storage in Morgan Hill, Calif. She is one of four recipients of the Inside Self-Storage 2009 Humanitarian Service Award.

Remember Sept. 11^th and how the world came together, while some things ground to a halt? Remember the eerie quietness of the skies with no airplanes overhead, or the road noise almost non-existent because no one was going to work?

We experienced a little taste of this again in our little corner of the world last Thursday. Someone sabotaged the fiber optics lines that feed the South County area of Santa Clara County, Calif. By day’s end, the same sabotage had occurred about 50 miles north of us in the San Carlos area, and late in the afternoon yet another section of the network was cut in South County in the same general area as the first attack.

We had no 911 services; landline calls within three miles worked somewhat, but we could not reach the “outside” world. When the landlines worked, we were relegated to a 12-square-mile area. No one could tap into the Internet, get cell phone service or even send text messages.

Despite making conscious choices to select different providers for just such an instance we were downed in every way fathomable. We know the copper lines/fiber optics are shared conduits. We are located in Verizon territory, so purchasing Verizon landline service makes no difference as AT&T owns the copper.

Our AT&T cell phones did not function, so our nephew tried his Verizon cell phone, but, again, nothing as we learned they share cell towers. We moved on to the Sprint PCS wireless Internet card, again no service. One by one people came in and we learned that all the providers were sharing all the equipment. Sprint/Nextel, Metro PCS, and even the On Star system were down.

Redundancy and various carriers should have offered us some options, at least in that proverbial perfect world. Fire and alarm systems were down, credit card machines ceased to ring up sales, businesses and banks closed, gas pumps stopped pumping and ATM machines didn’t work. The business losses total incurred that day for the four affected communities will most likely be a staggering number. In our little area alone, more than 50,000 customers were affected.

Needless to say, there were no phone calls to inquire about our services. Although, we did get one walk-in rental, so that was good. Not rain, sleet, hail, snow or downed communications kept our mail lady away so a few payments came in as well. Unable to communicate, people drove to other areas to pick up cell service, check on the elderly, and make arrangements to cover what were thought to be well-planned emergency contacts.

It was like 9/11 all over again, which brought forth the opportunity to go over our emergency responses at our facility. We pulled keys and did a refresher course on how to access and turn off power, water and gas lines. We went over how to secure the property, check the onsite customer’s welfare, and how to respond to various situations.

For their part, our local, state and federal government officials stepped up to the challenge, using a short-wave radio frequency to render shared aid. Ambulances were brought in and stationed at the fire stations. Local television and radio stations got the word out that anyone needing emergency services should go to the nearest fire or police station or look for an officer stationed around the city who would obtain the needed help. It was a strange day in the neighborhood.

We don’t have all the answers, but it did make us realize we need to prepare ourselves for even the unknown forces of man as well as nature. I know I will go back and take a look at the ham radio setups belonging to my late Dad and brother. It may be time for a license for me. I’ve become to dependant on reaching loved ones and knowing they are safe. And I would truly be interested in hearing other options. What would you do if all communication was lost? Do you have a backup plan? Post a comment below to share your thoughts.