In the first two chapters of the novel, what staples of life are lost, and how do the characters react?

In the first few chapters, one of the novel's main themes, what constitutes civilization and what happens when some of the staples of modern day life begin to break down, is introduced. When the moon is struck by the asteroid, cell phone networks and the internet go down. This is most likely because so many people are trying to contact each other that the networks cannot cope. It is also possible that some of the transmitters and servers have been destroyed in the storms and tsunamis. When Miranda's mom tries to switch some news on, CNN is also down. Miranda and her family cannot quite believe this; CNN has become such a staple of their life that they had never thought there could be a time when it wouldn't be there. Miranda says that she thought CNN would always be reporting, even up to the end of the world.