Verizon Wireless Readies Florida Network, Emergency Services as Hurricane Frances Approaches State; Residents Urged to Make Emergency Communication Plans

Business Wire, Sept 2, 2004

TAMPA, Fla. -- With Hurricane Charley providing an acute and recent lesson in the importance of wireless communications in an emergency, Verizon Wireless has again mobilized its emergency response plan as Hurricane Frances takes aim at Florida.

To protect its wireless network and preserve communications for wireless customers and emergency agencies, Verizon Wireless has deployed hundreds of technicians to prepare the network for a storm strike and has placed many other response and relief teams on alert to immediately serve in any hard-hit areas.

A similar plan proved successful two weeks ago in Southwest Florida during Hurricane Charley when the network remained more than 90 percent operational during the storm and was at 100 percent only a few days later, while much of the area fully lost landline and other wireless service.

In addition, Verizon Wireless will again set up Wireless Emergency Communication Centers (WECCs) to provide victims and rescuers communication capabilities in the wake of Frances. After Charley, thousands of residents visited the WECCs to call friends, families, insurance companies and other important contacts. Technicians cleaned, charged and repaired phones that went through the storm. Rescue agencies were provided more than 500 wireless phones, and nearly one million free minutes of air time were supplied to victims and rescue workers.

But even with the company's pre- and post-storm efforts, Verizon Wireless urges wireless customers to make their own emergency communication plans to be safer before, during and after a severe storm.

Tips include:

1. Keep wireless phone batteries charged - in case local power is lost - well before warnings are issued.

2. Have additional fully charged batteries and car-charger adapters available for back-up power.

3. Keep phones, batteries, chargers and other equipment in a dry, accessible location.

4. 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.

5. Distribute wireless phone numbers to family members and friends.

6. Keep calls brief to ease demand on the network in times of crisis.

"As we've seen, wireless communication is crucial during an emergency, " said Mike Lanman, Florida region president of Verizon Wireless. "So, it's important that we be ready with a comprehensive plan to make sure the network stays strong and calls go through when and where they're needed most."

More About Verizon Wireless Emergency Planning

Throughout the year, Verizon Wireless prepares comprehensive disaster recovery plans to test emergency generators and back-up batteries to keep the network online in the event of a power outage. In fact, a mock scenario, played out in one of the company's 2004 nationwide disaster preparation drills earlier this year, simulated the circumstances of a hurricane hitting the Gulf Coast of Florida. In Florida alone, more than 80 percent of the individual transmission sites operated by Verizon Wireless have their own on-site generators. This capability is critical if roads are impassable in the wake of a storm. In addition, Verizon Wireless has readied thousands of loaner wireless phones and extra batteries for distribution and use by local emergency personnel. The company also has a mobile fleet of Cells on Wheels (COWS) and Cells on Light Trucks (COLTS), which are self-powered transmitters that can be rolled into hard hit locations or areas that need extra network capacity. The company's fleet of portable generators are kept fueled and placed on standby in areas prone to sudden natural disasters, and fuel companies are scheduled to assist in keeping generators running. The company invests more than $4 billion annually to expand and upgrade its network.

More About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless is the nation's leading provider of wireless communications. The company has the largest nationwide wireless voice and data network and 40.4 million customers. Headquartered in Bedminster, NJ, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). Find more information on the Web at www.verizonwireless.com. To receive broadcast-quality video footage of Verizon Wireless operations, log onto www.thenewsmarket.com.