Verizon Wireline Employees Continue Round-the-Clock Progress in Restoring Voice, Data, Internet and TV Services in Mid-Atlantic, Northeast

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., Nov. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon wireline employees continue to reconnect consumers, businesses and government clients in parts of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, while challenges remain in New Jersey and New York due to extended commercial power outages and heavy damage to company facilities.  In addition, the company is preparing for a nor'easter that may begin affecting the Northeast on Wednesday (Nov. 7).

Restoration for Customers in Mid-Atlantic, Northeast:

• Verizon employees continue to bring back voice, data, Internet and TV service to thousands of customers daily. 
• The company is redeploying technicians and equipment to New Jersey and New York to hasten restoral in those hard-hit areas as commercial power is restored and Verizon crews can access damaged facilities for the first time.  Verizon is doubling the current force of technicians in these two areas over the next several days, drawing crews from Virginia, Maryland, western Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and upstate New York.
• The company has extended call-center hours and shifts to better serve customers' service needs.
• Commercial power has been restored to several critical Verizon facilities in lower Manhattan, including the company's headquarters and communications hub at 140 West St.  
• Verizon's efforts continue to restore backup power to several other flooded critical facilities in lower Manhattan and Queens.  These facilities provide phone, Internet and TV services for consumers and small businesses in the area, as well as sophisticated data communications for financial services, other enterprises and government agencies. 
• Even as backup and then commercial power is restored to these facilities, Verizon may also need to repair damaged outside facilities to bring back service.

Nor'easter Preparation:

• Verizon is preparing for the nor'easter's arrival, testing and confirming fuel supplies for backup generators; sandbagging and moving vehicles and other portable equipment from low-lying areas; contacting snow-removal vendors; and stocking critical supplies in centralized locations for rapid deployment to hard-hit areas.
• Verizon Enterprise Solutions clients that require additional assistance with their business continuity plans in the face of the impending nor'easter should contact their account manager.
• Several resources are available online to help people prepare for the nor'easter, including instructions on how to prepare for a Winter Storm on the American Red Cross website; Tips for Consumers on a Personal Emergency Communications Plan from Verizon Wireless; and a Web page for Verizon customers affected by Hurricane Sandy.  For daily updates on Verizon's non-stop work to restore services and help communities in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, visit the Verizon News Center.

Customer Repairs, Replacements:

• 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.
• Verizon will provide credits for landline customers who have reported an out-of-service condition related to Hurricane Sandy.  Verizon Wireless is offering a Voice and Text program for customers in counties of New York and New Jersey impacted by Hurricane Sandy. Domestic voice and text usage will be automatically removed from accounts for activity between Oct. 29 and Nov. 16.  Included counties can be found at:  http://news.verizonwireless.com/news/2012/11/pr2012-11-04a.html.

Focusing on Fuel; Supporting Emergency Responders, Communities:

• Verizon continues to work with fuel suppliers and federal, state and local government officials to secure the fuel essential to keep generators and service vehicles running so Internet access and voice and data communications can continue to flow. As part of these aggressive restoration efforts, the company is operating 15,000 vehicles in the affected region, and 36 major facilities – along with hundreds of smaller sites – currently are operating on backup generators in the absence of commercial power.
• Many Verizon FiOS and Verizon Wireless stores in the affected region are open to people who need to charge their wireless devices.  Customers should bring their own device chargers and call a store first to ensure it's open.
• Verizon's emergency fleet of vehicles and self-contained emergency inflatable air shelters continues to assist local government, public-safety and emergency management agencies at locations in Brooklyn, Long Beach and Staten Island in New York, and Hazlet 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. 
• (NOTE: To view or embed a video of the emergency response vehicle at Rockaway Beach, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mImNQDsziw&feature=youtu.be.  To view or embed a video of residents of Staten Island using a mobile tent to recharge their phones and connect to the Internet, visit http://youtu.be/JznMDCiJlC8. ) 
• To support Hurricane Sandy relief efforts, Verizon employees have donated more than $300,000 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.  In addition, Verizon Wireless customers and the Verizon Foundation have pledged more than $3 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.   For more on the Verizon Foundation's Sandy support, click here.

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