Bell Atlantic Hurricane Floyd Update - 2:30 p.m. 9/17: Rochelle Park, NJ, Switching Office Damaged by Flood, Local Phone

Bell Atlantic Hurricane Floyd Update - 2:30 p.m. 9/17: Rochelle Park, NJ, Switching Office Damaged by Flood, Local Phone Service and Mobile Service Affected

Power Problems Cause Local Service Interruption For About 35,000 Customers; Voice Mail, Mobile, Operator Services Impacted

September 17, 1999

NEW YORK - About 35,000 customers served by Bell Atlantic's Rochelle Park, NJ, call-routing office are temporarily without local phone service following flood damage caused by Hurricane Floyd.

Customers served by the Rochelle Park switching center live in: Lodi, Maywood, Paramus, Rochelle Park and Saddle Brook.

Commercial power serving the Rochelle Park office was interrupted when the building's basement was flooded during the storm last night. An emergency generator continued providing customers with local service until about 11 a.m. this morning.

In addition, about 1 million customers served by 23 Bell Atlantic call-switching centers linked to the Rochelle Park office have limited ability to make and receive calls outside of their local calling area. These customers can still reach 9-1-1 servi
ces and make calls within their local telephone exchange. However, they cannot reach Director Assistance operators and "0" operators. These customers also are without voice mail service until the Rochelle Park office is brought back on line. (A list of
these telephone exchanges where calling is limited is included at the end of this release.)

Some Bell Atlantic Mobile equipment is located in the same facility. As a result, Bell Atlantic Mobile's wireless service in Hudson, Bergen and Passaic Counties is affected.

As the water in and around the building begins to recede, technicians hope to be able to enter the building and begin repairs later this afternoon.

List of local telephone exchanges that still have local calling but limited ability to make calls out of or receive calls into their community: Cliffside Park, Clifton, Closter, Dumont, Englewood, Fair Lawn, Fort Lee, Hackensack, Westwood, Haledon, Li
ttle Falls, Little Ferry, Mountain View, Oakland, Passaic, Paterson, Ridgewood, Ramsey, Rutherford, Pompton Lakes, Oradell,
West Milford and Wyckoff.

Bell Atlantic is at the forefront of the new communications and information industry. With more than 43 million telephone access lines and nearly 10 million wireless customers worldwide, Bell Atlantic companies are premier providers of advanced wireli
ne voice and data services, market leaders in wireless services and the world's largest publishers of directory information. Bell Atlantic companies are also among the world's largest investors in high-growth global communications markets, with operation
s and investments in 23 countries.

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