Hurricane Idalia update.
All the latest on our response for our customers and communities.
On today’s edition of Up To Speed we shared an important update regarding Hurricane Idalia. We caught up with Alex Brosky who is part of the Crisis Response Team who is currently in Temple Terrace working on deploying network assets to the most impacted areas.
Network update
As Hurricane Idalia continues inland, it’s leaving behind commercial power outages, extensive flooding and significant structural damage throughout the area in its wake. Despite the extensive devastation, Verizon’s network remains resilient and our teams are actively assessing the situation to engage rapidly in recovery efforts when it is safe to do so.
While we are seeing sites out of service in the heaviest hit areas in the Big Bend, sites remaining in service running on generator power are offering wide coverage to residents and first responders who remain there.
Once the storm subsides and it is safe to do so, our crews will begin site assessments to prioritize repairs, move mobile assets into place as needed and activate a massive refueling operation to keep sites running until commercial power is restored. Our mobile cell sites, generators, drones and satellite links will begin moving into the area from the safe zones where they were pre-staged before the storm. We will prioritize assistance for first responders, emergency operation centers and search and rescue efforts.
Our Network teams and vendor partners are staffing two wireless Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs) and we are in contact with federal, state and local emergency management teams and are coordinating communication needs and efforts with them.
How V Teamers can help
V Team if you’d like to help, please keep our VtoV Employee Relief Fund top of mind.
The VtoV Employee Relief Fund is a charity that provides aid for Verizon employees displaced from their homes due to natural disasters (such as severe weather and fires) or domestic violence. The grants are used toward food, clothing, shelter and other necessities during life-changing disasters.
If you’re able to, please consider making a contribution, you can click here to donate and learn more.
Additional resources
Check out our Emergency preparation tips and tools page to help you be ready and stay connected during extreme weather emergencies.
