South Texas Residents Should Make Emergency Communication Plans As Tropical Storm Alex Approaches

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BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS — With Tropical Storm Alex approaching South Texas, residents are encouraged to be ready for hurricanes and storms by preparing an emergency communication plan. Verizon Wireless offers residents these tips to prepare for the season’s first tropical storm:

  • Keep wireless phone batteries fully charged – in case local power is lost – well before warnings are issued.
  • Have additional charged batteries and car-charger adapters available for back-up power.
  • Keep phones, batteries, chargers and other equipment in a dry, accessible location.
  • 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.
  • Distribute wireless phone numbers to family members and friends.
  • Forward your home phone calls to your wireless number if you evacuate.

The company also encourages the following actions if and when Tropical Storm Alex makes landfall:

  • Limit non-emergency calls to conserve battery power and free-up wireless networks for emergency agencies and operations.
  • Send brief text messages rather than voice calls for the same reasons as above.
  • Check weather and news reports on wireless phone applications when power is out.

Verizon Wireless has continued the intensive investments and preparations that proved critical during and after past years’ extraordinary storm seasons. These include deploying teams of “Test Men” to ensure network coverage is strong; maintaining a fleet of dozens of Cells on Wheels (COWs), Cells on Light Trucks (COLTs), and generators on trailers (GOaTs); adding cell sites, more than 80 percent of which have their own back-up power; and many more initiatives.

These efforts are part of a national network investment exceeding $59 billion to enhance its digital wireless network since the company was formed.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s most reliable and largest wireless voice and 3G data network, serving nearly 93 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 81,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

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