> At least back then we still had working gas-powered vehicles and landline telephones.

How did the gas pumps work without electricity? Or, if the gas stations have power, why would it be impossible to charge an electric car there?

Landlines having their own power just meant they could go down on their own (eg, it was possible to lose phone while still having power). I don’t see how that would be more robust than a cell network with independently powered cells during a natural disaster.