Verizon Offers Local Phone Service Consumer Tips As Hurricane Isabel Approaches

NEW YORK - As Hurricane Isabel approaches the mid-Atlantic coastline, Verizon issued the following reminders to local phone customers in the immediate path of the major storm:

• If you have a cordless phone in your home, be aware that it probably will not work if you lose electrical power. A good solution is to keep handy a standard phone that does not need to be plugged into an electrical outlet. A simple, inexpensive traditional telephone can be connected directly into the phone jack if you lose power, and it will get all the electricity needed from the telephone lines. Keep a phone like that, along with a flashlight and spare batteries, in a convenient area in your home. These phones are available at most retail stores that carry home electronics. In the event of an electrical power outage, backup power in Verizon's local phone network will continue to supply dial tone to your home, unless the storm damages the line connecting your house to the network.

• Take the time now to locate important phone numbers and place them by your phone, so you don't have to look for them in the dark if you lose power. These numbers should include, for example, local emergency contacts and the phone numbers of relatives, neighbors and friends you might want to check in with during the storm. Make plans now to call these relatives and friends at certain times over the next four to five days.

• Re-charge all battery-powered devices, ranging from laptop computers to cell phones, so that you can use them if the power goes out. Also, check or change the batteries for your flashlights and portable radios.

• Gather as much storm preparation information as you can from official local, state and federal government authorities. Many have already issued good advisories about how to prepare for the hurricane.

• Take stock of what else will work if you lose electric power. Phone answering machines won't work, for example, but voice mail service provided by Verizon will continue to work without power at your home. You can check Verizon voice mail messages from any telephone.

• If your home's interior has been prone to water damage in the past, take steps to protect sensitive equipment such as computers.

A Fortune 10 company, Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) is one of the world's leading providers of communications services, with approximately $67 billion in revenues and 221,000 employees. Verizon companies are the largest providers of wireline and wireless communications in the United States, with 137.6 million access line equivalents and 34.6 million Verizon Wireless customers. Verizon is the third largest long-distance carrier for U.S. consumers, with 14.6 million long-distance lines. The company is also the largest directory publisher in the world, as measured by directory titles and circulation. Verizon's international presence includes wireline and wireless communications operations and investments, primarily in the Americas and Europe. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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