As Tropical Storm Ian makes its way towards the US, Verizon’s
response team is readying to keep communities and first responders
connected when it matters most. Teams of Verizon engineers have
been actively preparing by running emergency drills, testing fiber
and cell site readiness, and ensuring recovery equipment is in
place from the tip of Florida, through the Gulf Coast and up the
East Coast. Verizon Frontline and the Verizon Frontline Crisis
Response Team also stand ready to provide first responders on the
front lines of response efforts with the mission-critical
communications support they need.
Verizon’s networks are prepared to keep people
connected
Recognized repeatedly for reliability, Verizon’s extreme network
is designed to withstand extreme weather and delivers superior
service by including redundancy on critical paths and components to
avoid a potential failure of a network component significantly
affecting customers. The use of battery and generator backup
systems in critical locations such as macro cell sites, switch
locations and network operations centers also serves to minimize
the risk of disruption if commercial power is lost. 100% of Verizon
macro cell sites have backup battery power and 78% have backup
generators. Verizon engineers have been preparing for the coming
storm by ensuring fuel levels are high on all generators at cell
sites, testing battery back-ups at network facilities, positioning
extra equipment in case additional capacity is needed, and prepping
emergency crews to respond quickly to any network issue. These are
just a few of the reasons Verizon’s network is the network America
relies on, in good times and bad.
In case emergency network recovery becomes necessary after Ian
makes landfall, Verizon is prepared to respond quickly. Verizon
maintains a fleet of over 500 portable assets, including fully
functional, generator-powered cells sites that can replace or
enhance network coverage and capacity in a given area as well as
drones and a fixed wing aircraft that can provide service from the
sky above. Additionally, Verizon boasts an industry-leading 150
satellite based portable network assets that can be used in case
fiber connection is lost due to loss of commercial power or
physical damage. Those assets include mid-Earth orbit and
geosynchronous assets. All of those mobile assets are complemented
by nearly a thousand portable generators and a comprehensive
refueling program.
Are you ready for the storm?
Verizon’s retail team stands ready to assist customers and
ensure they have the right devices, accessories and connectivity
they’ll need to weather the storm. And convenient options like
locker, curbside and in store pickup provide quick ways to get what
you need and get out.
In addition to the right tech, you’ll also want to take steps to
ensure your family is prepared for the season as well. When a storm
is forecast:
Keep devices dry: While many phones
today are some degree of water resistant, you still want to take
some extra care to ensure phones, tablets, batteries, chargers and
other equipment remain dry and accessible. Plastic zipper storage
bags help shield devices, and there are weatherproof phones, phone
cases and other protective accessories available.
Keep devices fully charged: Make sure
your device is ready when you need it by keeping phone and tablet
batteries fully charged in case commercial power goes out.
Get some backup: When power is out
for an extended period of time, portable battery packs can be a
game-changer to ensure you remain connected. Don’t forget your car
chargers as well in case you need to evacuate.
Create a list: Keep a list of
emergency numbers in your phone so that you have them if
needed.
Be prepared for loss: Take pictures
of valuables and other important belongings for possible insurance
claims. And make sure they’re uploaded to the cloud so you have a
backup.
Review checklists: Review the
hurricane preparedness checklist, power outage checklist and other
resources from the American Red Cross.
Download useful apps: There are
plenty of free weather, news, and safety-related apps available for
download to your smartphone.
Business continuity is critical
The need for a secure, stable connection for business continuity
is never more apparent than during severe weather events and other
emergencies. This is especially important with today’s increasingly
common hybrid-work environments, in which highly distributed and
mobile workforces are reliant on remote collaboration and digital
networking tools to do business across wide and local areas
simultaneously.
The Verizon Business portfolio of solutions provides continuity
of service for customers, from SD-WAN, to advanced security tools,
to cloud and edge applications and the BlueJeans by Verizon video
collaboration platform, fleet management and tracking through
Verizon Connect, fixed-wireless Internet for primary or backup
connectivity. Verizon’s network-as-a-service strategy gives
customers the flexibility to scale services as they require so that
they’re ready for anything.
As businesses launch their in-office and at-home hybrid
operations, now is a great time to assess readiness plans ahead of
storm season. Suggested steps for businesses and government
organizations include:
- Make sure you have contact information updated and readily
available for all employees, including at-home information for
remote workers and branch information for satellite offices.
- Stress-test primary and backup networks and shore up any weak
areas
- Make copies of insurance documents, review insurance coverages
and update as appropriate.
- Ensure employees working from home have documented all
corporate equipment being used to work from home in case of damage
or loss.
- Ensure backup plans are in place to shift work in case
work-from-home employees in a storm-impacted area have to evacuate
their home or their home loses commercial power.
Verizon Frontline is ready to support first
responders
The Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team stands ready to
deploy in support of public safety agencies nationwide — at no cost
to the agency — to ensure they have the mission-critical
communications support they need when responding to severe weather
and other crisis events. In 2021, the team deployed 84 times, to 13
states, in support of first responders on the front lines of
hurricane response efforts.
Composed of former first responders and military veterans, the
Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team provides on-demand,
emergency assistance during crisis situations to public safety
agencies and emergency responders. The team is available 24/7 to
deliver Verizon Frontline technologies including portable cell
sites, drones, charging stations, WiFi hotspots, and other Verizon
Frontline devices and solutions that enable communications and/or
boost network performance.
Verizon Frontline is the advanced network and technology built
for first responders – developed over nearly three decades of
partnership with public safety officials and agencies on the front
lines – to meet their unique and evolving needs.
After an emergency, call before you dig
Debris clean up and property repair are important tasks after a
storm. Before beginning to clean up and make repairs, call 811 or
visit call811.com to determine where fiber or other cables are
buried. Contacting 811 before any digging project, large or small,
is the easiest step toward reducing the chance of damaging
underground fiber and keeping customers and first responders
connected in critical moments. Fiber is the invisible footprint
that moves data throughout Verizon’s network across the country and
around the world. Verizon owns and operates over 1 million miles of
fiber; that’s enough to wrap around Earth 40 times. Cutting those
cables when digging can result in customers losing service and data
connections being lost. So before storm clean up begins, call
811.
**Editor’s Note: To access images
and b-roll of past storms, Verizon equipment, recovery efforts and
more, please visit Verizon’s Emergency Resource Hub at
https://www.verizon.com/about/news/emergency-resource-center
Media contact:Karen
Schulz864.561.1527Karen.Schulz@verizon.com
Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ)
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