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oups.com...
during a real emergency cell service for most will automatically quit
working while first responders will still work.

duriung such a emergency 911 calls still function

Only up to a point. True, the 'first responder' programmed phones will not
pre-empt 911 calls like they do normal calls, but the system simply doesn't
have the capacity for every cell user to make a call at once. Neither does
the hardwired land-line system (which is still involved in most cell
connections), or the 911 switches and consoles, or the pipe from them to the
telco, which is a choke point for both types of calls. In any major
disaster, voice service at a minimum bogs down, and ofter goes out entirely
for hours or days. They did note, during the recent unpleasantness down
south a couple years ago, that text service often holds out longer than
voice service. Less bandwidth needed, and (I suspect), people simply don't
think to use it. When people are upset or panicked, they want to hear a
human voice telling them things will be all right.

aem sends....