Verizon Wireless And Serve Alabama Team Up To Educate Alabamians On Emergency Preparedness During Sales Tax Holiday

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., July 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- In recognition of Alabama's first severe weather preparedness sales tax holiday, Verizon Wireless is working with Governor Robert Bentley's Office of Faith Based and Volunteer Service (Serve Alabama), to educate consumers about how they can best  prepare themselves for severe weather emergencies.

During the sales tax holiday, scheduled for July 6-8, select Verizon Wireless Communications stores in Alabama will distribute Serve Alabama's list of items suggested for families to create a severe weather preparedness kit. In addition, customers can bring in their smartphones to these locations on Friday, July 6, and have them set up with the latest severe weather applications along with local text alerts. Alabama Verizon Wireless locations participating in the emergency preparedness education initiative include:

Birmingham – Summit
310 Summit Blvd
Birmingham, AL 35243

Huntsville – West Huntsville
6275 University Drive NW, Suite 3
Huntsville, AL 35806

Tuscaloosa – McFarland
2340 McFarland Boulevard East
Tuscaloosa, AL 35404

Montgomery – Eastchase
6825 Eastchase Parkway
Montgomery, AL 36117

"This in-store initiative is part of our ongoing commitment to severe weather preparedness and response in Alabama," said Jonathan LeCompte – president, Verizon Wireless Georgia/Alabama Region. "Since the devastating April 2011 storms, not only have we contributed more than $400,000 to tornado relief and recovery around the state, but our network team has also worked hard to ensure the Verizon Wireless network is ready when severe weather strikes. We want to do our part to help residents be prepared as well."

Governor Bentley declared July 6-8 as a tax-free weekend for emergency preparedness items. Legislation that created the holiday was approved in April and signed by Governor Bentley. During the weekend, items related to weather preparedness, including cell phone chargers and batteries, will be exempted from state sales and use taxes.

Items included in the tax-free status can be found on the Alabama Department of Revenue website. Beginning in 2013, the tax-free weekend for weather preparedness items will be held in February.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation's largest 4G LTE network and largest, most reliable 3G network. The company serves nearly 108 million total wireless connections, including 92.2 million retail customers.  Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with nearly 82,000 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.

SOURCE Verizon Wireless