Verizon Wireless' Network Is Ready As Hurricane Irene Set To Impact Georgia Coast

ATLANTA, GA — With Hurricane Irene potentially impacting the Georgia Coast, residents should be ready with an emergency communication plan to keep their families safe and in touch.

Verizon Wireless, the nation’s largest wireless carrier, offers these tips:

• Keep phones, batteries, chargers and other equipment in a dry, accessible location. Consider waterproof accessories or simple zip-lock storage bags to protect devices.
• 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.
• Maintain a list of emergency numbers – police and fire agencies; power and insurance companies; family, friends and co-workers; etc. – and program them into your phone.
• Distribute wireless phone numbers to family members and friends.
• Download from a wide variety of weather- and safety-related applications for smartphones, tablets and other devices. Many of these apps are free.
• Use services such as Backup Assistant, a free Verizon Wireless application that stores a phone’s address book on a secure server in case the phone is lost or damaged.

If the storm threatens the region further, Verizon Wireless urges the following:

• 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.
• Forward your home phone calls to your wireless number if you evacuate.
• Check weather and news reports on wireless phone applications when power is out.

“Early preparation is the key to staying safe,” said Jeff Mango, president – Georgia/Alabama Region, Verizon Wireless. “As for our network, we continually invest in its infrastructure to make sure the Verizon network is at optimum capacity for Georgia residents and first responders during any emergency.”

As previously announced, Verizon Wireless made numerous network enhancements the first half of 2011. From January through June, the company installed additional network capacity in 249 cities across Georgia – an investment worth $130M. New cell towers were turned on with the company’s 4G LTE access in Palmetto, Cumming, Covington, Conyers, Alpharetta, Atlanta, Austell, Douglasville, Woodstock and Peachtree City. The company’s ongoing network investment in Georgia now totals more than $1.9 billion.

For more information on the Verizon Wireless network, products and services, visit www.verizonwireless.com.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s fastest, most advanced 4G network and largest, most reliable 3G network. The company serves 106.3 million total wireless connections, including 89.7 million retail customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 83,000 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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