Hurricane Sandy Service Update from Verizon:
Verizon’s Steady Service Restoral Continues for New Jersey, New York City, Long Island Customers
Company Technicians Have Completed 411,000 Repairs Since Sandy’s Oct. 29 Landfall
Verizon Providing Credits for Landline Customers Who Have Reported Out-of-Service Condition Related to Hurricane Sandy
BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – Verizon employees drawn from Virginia to Massachusetts are making steady progress reconnecting voice, data, Internet and TV services for consumers, businesses and government clients in New Jersey, Long Island, New York City and other parts of the New York metropolitan area.
To date, the repair crews have completed 411,000 post-Sandy repairs across the company’s Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions, and more than 1.4 million customers affected by power outages have had their FiOS services restored.
(NOTE: To view or embed videos of Verizon’s restoral and community outreach efforts after Hurricane Sandy, visit the video catalog at http://vz.to/sandyvideos [2].)
Verizon News Release, page 2
Restoration and Redeployment:
Verizon employees continue to work round-the-clock to restore voice, data, Internet and TV service to thousands of customers daily.
More than 1,400 employees from the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast continue to work with the company’s crews in New Jersey, Long Island and the New York City area, replacing poles and restringing cables, and restoring service to customers.
The company has extended call-center hours and employee work shifts to better meet customers’ service needs.
At its communications hub at 140 West St. in lower Manhattan, Verizon is using the latest technologies, such as infrared cameras, to detect damage and to repair and restore the cable vault at that location. (NOTE: To view or embed a video of Verizon’s restoration of its cable vault in lower Manhattan, visit http://vz.to/X8LaIJ [3].)
Verizon continues to coordinate with commercial power companies and local authorities in New York and New Jersey to resolve restoral challenges caused by downed power lines, trees and other debris. For example, Verizon repair managers established a process to proactively communicate with local officials in dozens of the hardest-hit communities in the two states to identify issues and to ensure efficient and effective coordination of service restoral with power companies.
Even in areas where power has been restored to key facilities and customers’ homes or businesses, Verizon may need to repair or replace damaged equipment – such as flooded electronics in switching offices, and broken poles and downed lines in neighborhoods – to bring back service for customers.
Customer Care, Repairs and Replacements:
Verizon is providing credits for landline customers who have reported an out-of-service condition related to Hurricane Sandy.
Customers may suspend their Verizon landline services free of charge if they’re currently unable to live in their home or operate their small business as a result of Sandy.
Verizon News Release, page 3
Verizon technical support will help customers determine if their equipment such as set-top boxes or home broadband routers is operable or needs replacement. Troubleshooting tips are also available for customers at www.verizon.com/outage [4].
The company will repair or replace any consumer or small-business Verizon equipment damaged by Sandy, without charge. This includes FiOS set-top boxes, FiOS broadband routers, optical network terminals and High Speed Internet (DSL) broadband routers.
Supporting Emergency Responders and Communities:
Many Verizon FiOS and Verizon Wireless stores in the region are offering people without power the ability to charge their wireless devices. To find a nearby store, visit http://vz.to/charge [5]. People should bring their own device chargers and call a store first to ensure it’s open. Verizon Wireless also has staged a number of mobile-device charging stations in New York and New Jersey. An updated listing of locations and services can be found here.
Verizon’s emergency fleet of vehicles and self-contained emergency inflatable-air shelters continues to assist public-safety and disaster-recovery organizations in parts of New York and New Jersey. These mobile stations provide organizations with communications, Internet and video capabilities in particularly hard-hit areas where such services may not currently be available. In addition, the Verizon vehicle at 92-24 Rockaway Beach in Queens is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for free calls, device charging and Internet access. Also, Verizon customers can speak with company representatives about their Verizon communications services at mobile office trailers located in Nickerson Park (880 Lido Blvd.) in Lido Beach, Nassau County; and at 115-05 Beach Channel Dr. in Rockaway Park in Queens.
Verizon employees, Verizon Wireless customers and the Verizon Foundation have pledged nearly $6 million to date to support Hurricane Sandy relief and rebuilding efforts. Customers can still make a $10 donation by texting REDCROSS to 90999, and those who would like to give more can donate up to $50 via text. In addition, more than 7,200 Verizon employees have donated to the American Red Cross and
Verizon News Release, page 4
Salvation Army through the Verizon Foundation’s matching gifts program; the foundation has matched those donations two-for-one. For more on the Verizon Foundation’s Sandy support, click here.
Customers can contact Verizon online at www.verizon.com/outage [4] to report any wireline service-related issues; or call 1-800-VERIZON (1-800-837-4966). Please note that hold times will be longer than normal due to higher calling volumes. For prior Hurricane Sandy updates, click here.
For more information on Verizon Wireless efforts related to Hurricane Sandy, visit the Emergency Information Center.
Verizon Enterprise Solutions updates are available at www.verizonbusiness.com/info/hurricane [6].
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to consumer, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America’s most reliable wireless network, with nearly 96 million retail customers nationwide. Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America’s most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers in more than 150 countries, including all of the Fortune 500. A Dow 30 company with $111 billion in 2011 revenues, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of 184,500. For more information, visit www.verizon.com [7].
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