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weather effects, they have also been in rapid decline thanks <br />to the wide spread adoption of cellular and mobile phones, <br />especially among the under -30 population. According to the <br />Pew Research Center (https://www.pewinternet.org/fact- <br />sheet/mobile/ ) the vast majority of Americans — 96% - now <br />own a cellphone of some kind. The share of Americans that <br />own smartphones is now 81 %, up from just 35% in Pew <br />Research Center's first survey of smartphone ownership <br />conducted in 2011. In terms of space weather vulnerability, <br />there is one important caveat. Without an electrical power <br />grid, conventional land -lines fail, and cell phones may not be <br />recharged even though the cell towers may have emergency <br />backup power capability. An example of this vulnerability <br />occurs whenever natural disasters strike and cell towers are <br />unavailable, or the crushing load of cell traffic renders the <br />local tower network unusable. Moreover, one does not have <br />to wait for power grid failure to have an impact on cell phone <br />access during episodes of solar flares (Space Weather — <br />Impacts, Mitigation and Forecasting — <br />(https://www.vsp.ucar.edu/Heliophysics/pdf/Odenwald_Spac <br />eWeather-Final.pdf). <br />Vulnerability Assessment Communication failure can have <br />the following potential impacts within a community: <br />• Telecommunications system outage; <br />• Economic disruption; and <br />• Disruption of community services. <br />Communications failures have a greater potential to produce <br />adverse economic impacts in business -based rather than <br />retirement or residential communities. On the other hand, <br />communications system failures in residential and retirement <br />communities may put more human lives at risk. Indian River <br />County's vulnerability to communications systems failures is <br />generally considered moderate. The City of Vero Beach has a <br />higher vulnerability to this hazard because it is the center of <br />government and business within the County, and Fellsmere <br />has a low vulnerability due to its location and small population <br />size. Basically, Indian River County's vulnerability to this <br />hazard is no greater or less than most other Florida coastal <br />counties. <br />Risk Assessment. Historic Events. Due to the low <br />probability of occurrence, this hazard will not be fully profiled. <br />Indian River County Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan Basic Page 75 <br />