Staff Reports
AT&T said it is standing ready with “an arsenal of disaster response equipment and personnel” as Hurricane Ian approaches.
The telecommunications company said it is closely monitoring the storm, which is currently on track to make landfall on Florida’s west coast late Wednesday or early Thursday according to the National Hurricane Center. As of 8 a.m. Tuesday, Ian’s center was over Cuba, 200 miles south of Key West, with sustained winds of 125 mph, making it a Category 3 storm.
AT&T said it is prepared to assist impacted communities through its FirstNet service, which includes deployable network assets that help public safety agencies keep their communications online during natural disasters.
The company said it has also topped off fuel for generators, hardened its facilities against flooding, and has staged other emergency response and network recovery equipment in strategic locations for quick deployment following the storm.
The positioned equipment includes mobile cell sites and command centers, portable generators, amphibious vehicles, emergency communications vehicles, damage assessment drones, self-sufficient base camps, hazmat equipment and supplies, as well as technology and support trailers to provide infrastructure support and mobile heating ventilation and air conditioning.
Additionally, the company’s Network Disaster Recovery (NDR) team is on standby in Florida. According to AT&T, the NDR team is one of the industry’s largest and most advanced disaster response programs with a fleet that includes hundreds of technology recovery and support trailers that can be quickly deployed to support customers and first responders.
“Customers and first responders rely on us, especially during major storms,” AT&T Florida president Joe York said. “That’s why we practice readiness drills and simulations throughout the year. And we do all we can to have our networks prepared when severe weather strikes. We’ve worked for the past few days to position equipment and crews and are ready to respond when needed. We’re also closely linked with Florida public officials in their storm response efforts.”
AT&T is also encouraging Floridians to make their own preparations for the storm and has launched a webpage compiling disaster preparedness information and guidance.
2 comments
Sharon Stone
September 27, 2022 at 11:57 pm
All that is bs. They have not done none of that. In fact managers told employees business as normal. They need to cut the bs
Anonymous22
September 28, 2022 at 5:51 pm
It is not bs. I work in network disaster recovery managing the assets. I have witnessed them deploying a sizable portion of the assets. They actively train all of their workers ahead of disaster. I myself have maintained the disaster recovery equipment and can say that it’s the real deal. They are serious and they are successful.
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