Verizon continues network restoration efforts

Verizon continues network restoration efforts

For your safety and to help speed recovery, please avoid cutting fiber lines

9.29.24 Evening Update

Hurricane Helene, one of the most intense storms to make landfall in recent history, brought massive devastation throughout the southeast resulting in extensive power outages, unprecedented flooding and widespread fiber damage.

Restoration efforts continue

Despite widespread power outages and fiber damage, network recovery work continued in earnest throughout the day. Verizon engineers are working with fuel vendors to continue our massive refueling efforts, keeping permanent and portable generators providing power to our cell sites running. Fiber cables, which connect cell sites to the rest of the network, have been broken or are without power in many places throughout the region, and teams are working to restore those connections or move alternative forms of connectivity such as microwave or satellite in place. More than 20 mobile satellite assets have been deployed to provide temporary connection to cellular towers to get them back on air while waiting for permanent fiber restoration to be completed. There are an additional 21 assets being mobilized to provide further support.

Across the region, we are working very closely with local power providers, telco vendors, local emergency operation centers, first responders, local and state government agencies to prioritize wireless service and provide our customers with essential connectivity.

We are also working to support local emergency management efforts with the deployment of a Tactical Command Trailer, as well as three WECCs (Wireless Emergency Command Center), with two stationed in Asheville, NC and the other in Chuckey, TN. The WECCs, which will be placed on Monday, September 30, will be open to the public and are generator-powered mobile units that have device charging and computer workstations, as well as wireless phones, tablets and other devices to contact friends, family and other important contacts over the Verizon network.

Network impact

While we have been successful in restoring service in Florida and parts of Georgia and South Carolina, we continue to experience service impacts in parts of the Southeast due to prolonged power outages, massive flooding, access restrictions, and extensive fiber damage.

Western North Carolina:

We are seeing slow but steady progress, with additional cell sites back on air. Thanks to a close working relationship with the state Department of Transportation, governor's office and local emergency response leaders, and with the opening of I-26 earlier today, we have been able to move temporary assets into the Asheville area. Earlier today, we deployed a HAWK (High Altitude Wireless Kennewhat) cell-enabled tethered drone that provides cell service from the air, as well as a number of high-capacity mobile assets including COWs (Cell on Wheels), COLTs (Cell on Light Trucks), STEERs (Satellite Trailer Emitting Equipment Remote), and SPOTs (Satellite Pico-cell on Trailer). We continue to work with our backhaul vendors on fiber restoration.

Upstate of South Carolina:

In Upstate of South Carolina, service remains degraded in the counties of Greenville, Spartanburg and Laurens counties. Engineers and crews have completed site surveys for the majority of towers in the Upstate. Massive refueling operations are underway to keep sites in areas without commercial power online. Engineers continue to move in temporary assets to fortify the network and to work with power and fiber providers to determine expected restoration times.

Eastern Georgia:

There have been continued improvements in eastern Georgia, as service was restored from Valdosta to Waycross along SR 84, as well as on Tybee Island.. Engineers and crews remain focused on the areas of Douglas, Vidalia, Sparta, Wrens, Swainsboro, and McRae-Helena. There has been aggressive deployment of temporary mobile assets, with 12 satellite-enabled mobile cell sites already deployed, and three more enroute from Florida and as far away as New Hampshire. Crews also continue their massive refueling operation to support the nearly 400 generators that are currently in use due to commercial power restoration delays. We are partnering with power and fiber providers to determine expected restoration times.

Florida:

While much of Florida has been restored, including LongBoat Key, some customers in central north Florida may experience scattered service degradation. Engineers have deployed a SAT-COLT (Satellite Cell on Light Truck) to support connectivity in Madeira beach until commercial power and fiber backhaul are restored.

Verizon Frontline is Keeping First Responders Connected

The Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team stands ready to help ensure that public safety agencies on the front lines of any potential disaster have the mission-critical communications capabilities needed to achieve their missions. This team, composed primarily of former first responders and military personnel, is solely dedicated to supporting public safety customers during emergencies at no cost to the supported agencies. In support of Hurricane Helene, the Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team has responded to requests for mission-critical communications support from more than 43 different public safety agencies in Florida, Georgia, and North and South Carolina, delivering more than 93 solutions.

Call/Text/Data usage to be waived

Verizon has also announced plans to support customers in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina impacted by Hurricane Helene, by waiving postpaid domestic call/text/data usage from Sept. 26-Oct. 5. This will bring relief to the thousands of customers who are relying on their mobile devices now more than ever, especially during this challenging time.

**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

9.29.24 Update

Hurricane Helene, one of the most intense storms to make landfall in recent history, brought massive devastation throughout the southeast resulting in extensive power outages, unprecedented flooding and widespread fiber damage.

Restoration efforts continue

Verizon is committed to keeping our customers and public safety partners connected and our crews will be out working until connectivity is fully restored to all, but there is still a tremendous amount of work ahead of us. Network restoration work continues this morning, as many of the cables that connect cell sites to the rest of the network have been damaged or are without power; crews are working to restore those connections to cell sites as quickly as possible. In addition, massive refueling operations to ensure those sites without commercial power remain in service for Verizon customers and first responders. We have aggressively deployed mobile assets to assist in providing connectivity until full restoration of commercial power and fiber repair. There are a large number of additional mobile assets en route from across the country to aid recovery efforts, with more crews and resources on the way to help support restoration.

Across the region, we are working very closely with local power providers, telco vendors, local emergency operation centers, first responders, local and state government agencies to prioritize wireless service and provide our customers with essential connectivity.

Network impact

While we have been successful in restoring service to much of the region, we continue to experience service impacts in parts of the Southeast due to prolonged power outages and extensive fiber damage.

Western North Carolina:

The unprecedented floods in the western North Carolina area caused massive devastation and extremely hazardous conditions. Access into the region, as well as moving within the area, have been an insurmountable challenge the last few days. We are working closely with the state Department of Transportation, governor's office and local emergency response leaders to find and create ways to move our engineers and critical equipment into the area to restore connectivity to the area as quickly as possible. We have deployed a mobile asset to support an evacuation zone in Hendersonville, NC, deployed satellite assets to support key emergency operations centers, as well as a cell-enabled tethered drone. With the opening of I-26 earlier this morning, we will be aggressively deploying a number of high-capacity mobile assets including COWs (Cell on Wheels), COLTs (Cell on Light Trucks), STEERs (Satellite Trailer Emitting Equipment Remote), and SPOTs (Satellite Pico-cell on Trailer). In addition, overnight, we had a number of cell sites restored on the corridor between Greenville, SC and Asheville, NC. We are also working with our backhaul vendors to begin fiber restoration.

Upstate of South Carolina:

In Upstate of South Carolina, service remains degraded in the counties of Greenville, Spartanburg and Laurens counties. Engineers and crews have completed site surveys for the majority of towers in the Upstate, are undergoing massive refueling operations to keep sites in areas without commercial power online, and are moving in temporary assets to fortify the network.

Eastern Georgia:

There have been significant improvements in eastern Georgia, however, Echols County straight up through just north of Jefferson County continues to experience service impacts. Engineers and crews are currently focused on the areas of Douglas, Vidalia, West Augusta, Sparta, Wrens, Swainsboro, McRae-Helena. There has been aggressive deployment of satellite assets, including a HAWK (High Altitude Wireless Kennewhat) on Tybee Island, which will continue due to delays in fiber restoration in more rural areas. There is also a massive refueling operation to support generators due to commercial power restoration delays.

Florida:

While much of Florida has been restored, customers continue to be impacted from Redington Beach down to Mitchell Beach, as well Horseshoe Beach up North Central Florida to the Georgia border. Engineers have deployed mobile assets, including SAT-COLTs (Satellite Cell on Light Truck) and a STEER (Satellite Trailer Emitting Equipment Remote) to support connectivity until commercial power and fiber backhaul are restored. Site surveys have been completed and crews are currently working on a refuel operation to keep sites in areas without commercial power online.

Verizon Frontline is Keeping First Responders Connected

The Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team stands ready to help ensure that public safety agencies on the front lines of any potential disaster have the mission-critical communications capabilities needed to achieve their missions. This team, composed primarily of former first responders and military personnel, is solely dedicated to supporting public safety customers during emergencies at no cost to the supported agencies. In support of Hurricane Helene, the Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team has responded to requests for mission-critical communications support from more than 30 different public safety agencies in Florida, Georgia, and North and South Carolina, delivering more than 80 solutions.

Call/Text/Data usage to be waived

Verizon has also announced plans to support customers in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina impacted by Hurricane Helene, by waiving postpaid domestic call/text/data usage from Sept. 26-Oct. 5. This will bring relief to the thousands of customers who are relying on their mobile devices now more than ever, especially during this challenging time.

**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

9.28.24 Update

Hurricane Helene, one of the most intense storms to make landfall in recent history, brought massive devastation throughout the southeast resulting in extensive power outages, unprecedented flooding and widespread fiber damage.

Impact to the network and restoration efforts

While the redundancies and fortification built into the network withstood much of Helene's fury, we are experiencing service impacts in parts of north Florida, eastern Georgia, the Upstate of South Carolina, Western North Carolina and the Eastern portion of Tennessee. We have seen improvements in Florida, although we continue to see network impacts due to flooding and commercial power loss along the coastline near Tampa, as well as a few areas in the northern part of the state between Tallahassee and Jacksonville. The core of key population centers in the eastern part of Georgia, such as Valdosta, Savannah, and Augusta, are beginning to see some recovery, thanks to restoration efforts and with existing overlapping coverage, customers who were impacted are beginning to see limited service available. In the Western Carolinas, we continue to see significant impact to the network, with historic flooding and damage in the area making access and recovery difficult.

Our teams are committed to keeping our customers and public safety partners connected and they will be out working until connectivity is fully restored to all, but there is still a tremendous amount of work ahead of us. Network restoration work continues this morning. With power outages widespread throughout Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina, many cell sites are running on backup power as designed, and massive refueling operations are underway to ensure those sites without commercial power remain in service for Verizon customers and first responders. Many fiber cables, the cables that connect cell sites to the rest of the network, have been damaged or are without power, so we are working to restore connections to cell sites as quickly as possible. We have already deployed several alternate connections to bring those sites back online. Additional mobile assets being deployed throughout the impacted area include:

STEER | Satellite trailers which support the restoration of macro cells when fiber is unavailable..

COLT | Mobile cell site equipment with onboard masts contained on a truck.

SPOT | Mobile, satellite-based connectivity trailer supporting first responders.

BISON | Multipurpose trailer that can be deployed as a temporary satellite connection or full mobile cell site.

HAWK | Tethered drone capable of providing service from the air.

STUD | Trailer-based satellite dish capable of functioning as a temporary satellite connection or full mobile cell site.

Hundreds of crews are in the field, and we are expecting dozens more today from across the county. Verizon engineers will continue working non-stop, however, our crews continue to be challenged by hazardous road conditions and the massive devastation as a result of the storm. Those in the areas of impact understand the massive devastation, with downed trees, debris and flooding creating extremely hazardous conditions for Verizon's crews and vendors.

Verizon Frontline is Keeping First Responders Connected

The Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team stands ready to help ensure that public safety agencies on the front lines of any potential disaster have the mission-critical communications capabilities needed to achieve their missions. This team, composed primarily of former first responders and military personnel, is solely dedicated to supporting public safety customers during emergencies at no cost to the supported agencies. In support of Hurricane Helene, the Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team has responded to requests for mission-critical communications support from more than 20 different public safety agencies in Florida, Georgia, and North and South Carolina.

9.27.24 Update

Hurricane Helene, one of the most intense storms to make landfall in recent history, brought massive devastation throughout the area resulting in power outages and fiber damage.

Impact to the network

With power outages widespread throughout Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina many cell sites are running on backup power as designed, and massive refueling operations are underway to ensure those sites without commercial power remain in service for Verizon customers and first responders. Customers in Florida are seeing network impacts along the coastline near Tampa, as well as the northern part of the state from Tallahassee to Jacksonville. Eastern Georgia was impacted by the storm, with customers in and around Savannah, Valdosta, and Augusta, seeing outages. In the Carolinas, customers are experiencing service impacts from Greenville, SC up through Western North Carolina.

The fiber infrastructure, needed to carry data traffic from cell sites to the core command centers of the network, was damaged in some areas with a number of cuts from the high winds, debris and flooding caused by the storm. Teams are evaluating alternate connections to bring those sites back online. For sites which are currently not in service across the impacted communities, site assessments and repairs will begin as soon as it is safe to do so, and Verizon crews and vendors will be working around the clock to restore service as quickly as possible.

Additional Support

Ahead of the storm, Verizon's engineers undertook steadfast preparation measures to ensure resources were in place for rapid response. An extensive fleet of portable network assets were staged across the region. These include generator-powered cell sites, drones, satellite-based portable network assets, and mobile generators to assist communities in maintaining or restoring connectivity. Additionally, members of Verizon's highly specialized DIRT (Dedicated Impact Response Team) and MERIT (Major Incident Response Incident Team) were deployed to the region to aid in response efforts.

How you can help

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. 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

ALPHARETTA, GA - As potential Hurricane Helene approaches the Florida coast, Verizon remains committed to keeping communities and first responders connected. Verizon's Response Team has prepared year-round to respond to extreme weather situations, like hurricanes, by taking part in emergency drills, fortifying the network infrastructure, and ensuring resources are mobilized for rapid response.

"Verizon is committed to keeping communities connected. From consumers, to businesses, to first responders, Verizon offers the dependable service they need to face Hurricane Helene and the days to come," said Atlantic South Market President, Leigh Anne Lanier. "Our dedicated team is working around the clock to ensure our customers stay informed, stay in touch with loved ones, and access critical services when they need them most."

Verizon's networks are primed

Verizon's networks are primed to maintain connectivity even in the face of extreme weather conditions, such as hurricanes. With redundancy built into critical paths and components, Verizon's network is engineered to withstand severe weather. Verizon engineers have prepared by conducting thorough checks, as well as ensuring backup systems, like batteries and generators, are operational and refueled.

In preparation for potential network recovery operations, Verizon has bolstered its arsenal with:

• A fleet of over 550 portable network assets, including generator-powered cell sites, drones, and a fixed-wing aircraft for aerial support.
• An industry-leading nearly 300 satellite-based portable network assets, providing crucial connectivity in scenarios where fiber connections are compromised.
• More than 1,000 mobile generators to assist communities in maintaining or restoring connectivity, and rapid recovery efforts.

Verizon Frontline stands at the ready, prepared to assist first responders in any capacity needed

The Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team stands ready to help ensure that public safety agencies on the front line of any potential disaster have the mission-critical communications capabilities needed to achieve their missions. This team, composed primarily of former first responders and military personnel, is solely dedicated to supporting public safety customers during emergencies at no cost to the supported agencies.

In the first nine months of 2024, the Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team has responded to more than 1,000 requests for mission-critical communications support from more than 500 different agencies in 46 states.

Being prepared is essential to support local businesses and communities

Recognizing the critical role of connectivity in business continuity, Verizon Business provides a suite of solutions tailored for seamless operations during emergencies. Businesses and government organizations need the right game plan. Suggested actions include:

Are you hurricane ready?

Verizon's team works year-round to ensure customers remain connected to their loved ones and the activities that provide comfort during a disaster. As residents prepare to stay connected and entertained, consider these tips:

• Stock Up on power supplies like batteries for flashlights and radios or device chargers. Take it a step further by charging your devices that can act as chargers for other devices like laptops and party box speakers. Don't forget to ensure you have the cables!
• Download Movies, Books, Apps and Games or gather board games, card games and puzzles to go device-free.
• Locate materials for hobbies like knitting or drawing, and get creative.
• Plan activities like cooking easy-to-make meals and even no-bake treats. Keep a few non-perishable ingredients, a manual can opener and other kitchen tools on hand.
• Grab some candles, blankets, pillows or anything that makes your space cozy.
• Read up on the American Red Cross' hurricane preparedness tips.

**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

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