Tropical Storm Fay Threatens Florida; Residents Urged to Prepare Emergency Communications Plans
TAMPA, Fla.--(Business Wire)--
With Tropical Storm Fay threatening both the east and west coasts
of Florida and the Florida Keys, Verizon Wireless urges residents to
have their emergency communications plans in place. The company offers
the following tips:
-- Keep wireless phone batteries fully charged - in case local
power is lost - well before warnings are issued.
-- Have additional charged batteries and car-charger adapters
available for back-up power.
-- Keep phones, batteries, chargers and other equipment in a dry,
accessible location.
-- Maintain a list of emergency phone numbers - police, fire, and
rescue agencies; power companies; insurance providers; family,
friends and co-workers; etc. - and program them into your
phone.
-- Distribute wireless phone numbers to family members and
friends.
-- Forward your home phone calls to your wireless number if you
will be away from your home or have to evacuate.
Forecasters predict Fay could grow into a hurricane and expect the
storm to reach the Florida Keys by Monday night. Once the storm begins
to hit, Verizon Wireless urges these additional tips:
-- Limit non-emergency calls to conserve battery power and
free-up wireless networks for emergency agencies and
operations.
-- Send brief TXT messages rather than voice calls for the same
reasons as above.
-- Check weather and news reports available on wireless phone
applications when commercial power is out.
"It's clear that Fay will have some impact on Florida, but
preparation and communication will help lessen any problems the storm
throws at us," said Pam Tope, Florida region president for Verizon
Wireless. "We prepare our network all year long to be ready for storms
and other emergencies."
During the past 18 months, Verizon Wireless has spent more than
$250 million in Florida to strengthen and enhance its wireless
network. Highlights of these enhancements include:
-- A comprehensive emergency response plan, including preparing
emergency command centers across Florida in the case of a
storm or other crisis.
-- A $20 million enhancement to its Tampa Bay switching facility,
which doubled its traffic capacity and back-up power
redundancies. The facility is designed to withstand a Category
5 hurricane and will serve as the region's emergency
operations center in the event of a storm or other disaster.
-- A new 35-foot $150,000 Disaster Response Trailer to be used as
temporary customer service location in areas impacted by a
disaster.
-- Erecting about 150 new digital cell sites since the start of
last year, of which about 85 percent have their own on-site
generators.
-- The company also has a fleet of dozens of Cells on Wheels
(COWS) and Cells on Light Trucks (COLTS), and generators on
trailers (GOaTS) that can be rolled into hard-hit locations or
areas that need extra network capacity.
-- Pre-arranging fuel delivery to mobile units and generators to
keep the network operating at full strength even if power is
lost for an extended period of time.
-- The company has expanded its EV-DO wireless broadband network,
including launching its highest-speed Rev. A network
throughout the state. This allows the most advanced wireless
services (downloads, location-based applications, video
messaging, etc.) and makes the network more robust for usage
by residents and emergency agencies.
These kinds of intensive investments and preparations proved
critical during the height of extraordinary storm seasons in the late
summer and early autumn of 2004 and 2005. In those years, the Verizon
Wireless network in Florida remained strong, while many other wireless
communication networks struggled to serve residents and emergency
response officials.
(Editor's Note: To accompany a Verizon Wireless Test Man, tour a
network facility or obtain broadcast-quality video B-roll and still
images of network operations/emergency preparations, contact Chuck
Hamby at 813-404-6029).
About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable wireless
voice and data network, serving 68.7 million customers. Headquartered
in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 70,000 employees nationwide, Verizon
Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and
Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). For more information, go to:
www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality
video and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log
on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at
www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.
Verizon Wireless
Chuck Hamby, 813-615-4803
Chuck.Hamby@VerizonWireless.com
Copyright Business Wire 2008
