Hurricane Sandy Service Update: Verizon Is Out in Force on Veterans Day, Restoring Services for New Jersey, New York City, Long Island Customers

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., Nov. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- On this Veterans Day (Nov. 11), Verizon technicians are on a mission that began with Hurricane Sandy's Oct. 29 landfall:  Reconnecting  voice, Internet and TV services for consumers, businesses and government clients in New Jersey, Long Island, New York City and other parts of the New York metropolitan area.

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121111/NY10563-a )
(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121111/NY10563-b )

In a massive effort to restore services to the affected areas, Verizon has purchased 8,500 poles since Sandy blew through, compared with a monthly average of approximately 2,000 poles.  Similarly, the company has purchased 50,000 aerial fiber-optic drop lines that are being placed to connect homes and businesses to Verizon's all-fiber network post-Sandy.  In the prior six months, Verizon used 68,000 aerial fiber drops. 

Since Sandy, Verizon technicians have used more than 14 million feet of wire, compared with just over 2 million feet in an average month prior to Sandy.

(NOTE: To view or embed videos of Verizon's restoral and community outreach efforts after Hurricane Sandy, visit the video catalog at http://vz.to/sandyvideos.)

Restoration and Redeployment:

• Verizon employees continue to restore voice, data, Internet and TV service to thousands of customers daily. 
• The company's crews in New Jersey, Long Island and the New York City area are being reinforced by 1,200 employees from other parts of the country.  On Sunday (Nov. 11), contingents of Verizon workers from Maryland and Massachusetts drove to hard-hit areas in New Jersey and New York to replace poles and cables, restoring service to customers as commercial power is restored and Verizon crews can access Sandy-damaged facilities for the first time. 
• Verizon continues to coordinate with commercial power companies and local authorities to resolve restoral challenges caused by downed power lines, trees and other debris.  For example, Verizon construction crews are working together with local power companies to place new poles in New Jersey communities.
• Even as power is restored to key facilities and customers' homes or businesses, Verizon may need to repair or replace damaged equipment – such as flooded electronics in switching offices, and broken poles and downed lines in neighborhoods – to bring back service for customers. 

Customer Repairs, Replacements and Care:

• Verizon will provide credits for landline customers who have reported an out-of-service condition related to Hurricane Sandy. 
• Customers may suspend their Verizon landline services free of charge if they're currently unable to live in their home or operate their small business as a result of Sandy.
• Verizon technical support will help customers determine if their equipment such as set-top boxes or home broadband routers is operable or needs replacement.  Troubleshooting tips are also available for customers at www.verizon.com/outage.
• The company will repair or replace any consumer or small business Verizon equipment damaged by Sandy, without charge.  This includes FiOS set-top boxes, FiOS broadband routers, optical network terminals and High Speed Internet (DSL) broadband routers.

Supporting Emergency Responders and Communities:

• Many Verizon FiOS and Verizon Wireless stores in the region are offering people without power the ability to charge their wireless devices.  To find a nearby store, visit http://vz.to/charge.  People should bring their own device chargers and call a store first to ensure it's open.  Verizon Wireless also has staged eight mobile device charging stations in the affected area.  An updated listing of locations and services can be found here.
• Verizon's emergency fleet of vehicles and self-contained emergency inflatable-air shelters continue to assist public-safety and disaster-recovery organizations in Long Beach, Queens and Staten Island in New York, and Hazlet, Hoboken and Ortley Beach in New Jersey.  These mobile stations provide organizations with communications, Internet and video capabilities in particularly hard-hit areas where such services may not currently be available.  In addition, the Verizon vehicle at 92-24 Rockaway Beach in Queens is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for free calls, device charging and Internet access.
• To support Hurricane Sandy relief efforts, Verizon Wireless customers and the Verizon Foundation have pledged more than $3.8 million to the American Red Cross and other organizations aiding in Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts.  Customers can still make a $10 donation by texting REDCROSS to 90999, and those who would like to give more can donate up to $50 via text.  In addition, Verizon employees have donated more than $535,000 to the American Red Cross and Salvation Army to date through the Verizon Foundation's matching gifts program; the foundation will match those donations two-for-one.  For more on the Verizon Foundation's Sandy support, click here.  (NOTE: To view or embed a FiOS1 New Jersey video of Verizon's partnership with the American Red Cross for Sandy relief, visit http://vz.to/ZkMiq0.)

Customers can contact Verizon online at www.verizon.com/outage to report any wireline service-related issues; or call 1-800-VERIZON (1-800-837-4966).  Please note that hold times will be longer than normal due to higher calling volumes.  For prior Hurricane Sandy updates, click here.

For more information on Verizon Wireless efforts related to Hurricane Sandy, visit the Emergency Information Center. 

Verizon Enterprise Solutions updates are available at www.verizonbusiness.com/info/hurricane.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to consumer, business, government and wholesale customers.  Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, with nearly 96 million retail customers nationwide.  Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers in more than 150 countries, including all of the Fortune 500.  A Dow 30 company with $111 billion in 2011 revenues, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of 184,500.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

VERIZON'S ONLINE NEWS CENTER: Verizon news releases, executive speeches and biographies, media contacts, high-quality video and images, and other information are available at Verizon's News Center on the World Wide Web at www.verizon.com/news.  To receive news releases by email, visit the News Center and register for customized automatic delivery of Verizon news releases.

SOURCE Verizon