Corrected entry: If New York City has lost power, the cell phone towers are inoperable. Therefore, cell phones will not work. This very problem happens all over the country when there is a power failure. There is not always another tower close enough to pick up your signal.
papajim
16th Jan 2008
Correction: Most if not all cell phone towers have emergency generators. While they would not provide power indefinitely, depending on their fuel, they could keep the tower operational for anywhere from a couple of hours to a few days.
papajim