ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Communications survivability

Imagine you wanted to play a game with your friend, but your friend lived far away, and you couldn't walk to their house all the time. So, you use the phone to talk to them and make plans. But sometimes, the phone becomes broken or doesn't work because of bad weather or an accident.

That's where communications survivability comes in! It's like having a backup plan or a spare phone. With communications survivability, even if the phone or internet doesn't work properly, there are other ways to communicate.

For example, when you play pretend with your friend, you can use a toy telephone, or if the toy telephone doesn't work, you can send a message by carrier pigeon or smoke signal - just like the Native Americans did a long time ago!

In the same way, during an emergency or disaster, communications survivability means having different ways to communicate with people even if your regular phone or internet isn't working. Emergency responders might use walkie-talkies, radios, or even special satellite phones that can work even when other forms of communication can't.

So, just like having a spare phone or a plan B in real life, communications survivability is about having backup options for communication when things don't go as planned.