AT&T Contributes $20,000, Employees Pitch in to Help with Clean-Up, Recovery Efforts in West Virginia

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Jun 30, 2016, 10:34 ET

CHARLESTON, W.Va., June 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- West Virginians are pulling together to help their neighbors whose communities have been ravaged by the recent flooding, and AT&T and its employees are pitching in to help.

AT&T is contributing $15,000 to the West Virginia National Guard Foundation and $5,000 to the Facing Hunger Foodbank to help with clean-up and recovery efforts.

On Friday, July 1, AT&T employees from the DIRECTV facility in Huntington also are volunteering to help the Facing Hunger Foodbank unpack a tractor trailer full of food, cleaning supplies and other goods at a staging area in Belle, WV.

The Women of AT&T DC/VA Chapter, an AT&T employee resource group, donated blankets to VFW Post 3522 in Charles Town, WV. The post will deliver the blankets and other items to the affected areas.

And, AT&T customers who want to donate to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief fund can do so by texting WVFLOODS to 90999 to give $10 to American Red Cross Disaster Relief, which helps people affected by disasters, such as hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, wildfires and tornadoes.*

"We want to help people stay connected to family and loved ones in the aftermath of these terrible floods and help them get back on their feet as quickly as possible," said J. Michael Schweder, president, AT&T Mid-Atlantic.

In addition to the financial contributions and the volunteer activities, the company and its employees have worked to help our customers, emergency responders and local communities recover from this disaster. Activities have included:

Network Disaster Recovery Team: AT&T crews and a Network Disaster Recovery (NDR) team activated disaster recovery equipment to provide wireless communications in the area until full restoration is complete. The company set up a mini Satellite Cell On Light Truck (COLT) in Clendenin, WV, to provide additional cellular coverage for first responders at the mobile command center. Once communications were normalized in the area, the NDR team moved the COLT to another location in Greenbrier County to support a command center there.
Charging Stations and Chargers: AT&T set up charging stations in Clendenin and Maxwelton, and provided chargers to help the Rupert Volunteer Fire Department stay powered up and connected. Charging stations also were set up in Rainelle and Elkview, where the company set up a tent to help affected residents stay in touch with their loved ones. The tent, which went up last Saturday, provided residents with access to phones and tablets. AT&T also opened up our stores statewide for West Virginians who are without power and need to charge devices.
Late Payment Support: Service suspensions, outbound collections calls, and texts to consumers about late payments will be postponed until further notice for customers in affected areas.
Employee Support: AT&T employees who live in Greenbrier, Kanawha and Nicholas counties, will be contacted and offered assistance from the Employee Disaster Relief Fund and the Pioneers Disaster Relief Fund.

Andy Feeney, AT&T's regional vice president for External Affairs in West Virginia added: "I've visited some of the communities and have seen the devastation – and West Virginians' resiliency – up close. We will continue to do what we can to help our neighbors in need."

AT&T is the first private sector company to receive certification under the Department of Homeland Security's Private Sector Preparedness, or PS-Prep, program. PS-Prep certification validates that AT&T is able to maintain or recover its own business operations in the face of an emergency or disaster, whether natural, man-made, or cyber in nature.

With $600 million invested in the Network Disaster Recovery (NDR) program, AT&T has one of the nation's largest and most advanced disaster recovery programs.

*Customers who donate will see charges on their wireless bill, or deducted from their prepaid balance. All purchases must be authorized by account holder. Must be 18 years of age or have parental permission to participate. Message and Data Rates May Apply. Text STOP to 90999 to STOP. Text HELP to 90999 for HELP. Full Terms: www.mGive.org/T. Privacy Policy: www.mGive.org/P.

About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) helps millions around the globe connect with leading entertainment, mobile, high speed internet and voice services. We're the world's largest provider of pay TV. We have TV customers in the U.S. and 11 Latin American countries. We offer the best global coverage of any U.S. wireless provider. And we help businesses worldwide serve their customers better with our mobility and highly secure cloud solutions.

About Philanthropy & Social Innovation at AT&T
AT&T Inc. is committed to advancing education, strengthening communities and improving lives. Through its community initiatives, AT&T has a long history of investing in projects that create learning opportunities; promote academic and economic achievement; or address community needs. AT&T Aspire is AT&T's signature philanthropic initiative that drives innovation in education by bringing diverse resources to bear on the issue including funding, technology, employee volunteerism, and mentoring. Through Aspire, we've passed the $250 million mark on our plan to invest $350 million in education from 2008-2017.

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