Living in Eastern NC a landline is essential during/after hurricanes. Since we have mostly underground utilities in my subdiv and are close enough to the telco to get DSL if we wanted it, we've never lost the landline, but cable and electricity usually go away when the winds hit 50+ mph and cell is out for days after a hurricane blows through. My cable provider has finally stopped hounding me about getting bundled phone after I asked how they could guarantee service when the lights go out.