Date: 25 Aug 92  14:21:46
From: William.Degnan@mdf.FidoNet.Org (William Degnan)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: AT&T Tackles Hurricane Disaster!
Organization: TELECOM Digest
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 662, Message 1 of 14

AT&T PREPARES FOR HURRICANE ANDREW'S SECOND LANDFALL

     NEW YORK -- As Hurricane Andrew headed west this morning, so too
did a convoy of about a dozen AT&T trucks carrying an emergency crew,
portable generators and enough transmission equipment to provide
emergency long distance service to a small city.

     The trucks hold enough AT&T people and equipment to quickly
restore thousands of phone circuits anywhere along the Gulf Coast, if
needed.

     Initially stationed in Windermere, Fla., in case AT&T service was
affected by hurricane damage in southern Florida, the trucks and crew
have now moved on to Bonifay, Fla.  They stand ready to respond to any
damage that Andrew might do to AT&T's network along the Gulf Coast.
Bonifay is located about 105 miles east of Pensacola.

     AT&T long-distance calling on Monday totaled 172.1 million calls,
making it the second busiest day ever on AT&T's long distance network.
Overall calling on the network today is up 13 percent from the same
day a week ago.

     AT&T, reporting that its network has so far weathered the storm
with minimum damage to facilities, said calling into and out of
Florida was still running 300-500 percent above normal today.  Because
of local network congestion, some people may encounter delays in
completing their calls, AT&T said.

     The company said that calling to and from New Orleans was
beginning to build this morning.

     "Our network has performed superbly," said Jim Carroll, vice
president, network operations.  "And our emergency telecommunications
restoration team is ready and prepared to respond if the hurricane
hits the Gulf Coast."

     Meanwhile, to help with restoration efforts now underway in
southern Florida, AT&T is:

     -- Carrying calls between the United States and Cuba via third
countries -- Spain, Italy, Canada and the United Kingdom -- due to the
loss of an AT&T microwave radio tower in Goulds, Fla., that was part
of a radio link handling calls between the two countries.  If the
Cuban government agrees, AT&T is prepared to activate a 140-circuit
undersea cable that was installed in 1989 between West Palm Beach and
a point near Havana.

     -- In partnership with Cellular One, providing free long distance
cellular service to relief agencies in the Miami area.  McCaw
Cellular, which operates as Cellular One in Florida, has provided the
agencies with 500 phones.

     -- Moving portable generators and phone banks to areas in
southern Florida affected by hurricane damage for the use of local
residents there anxious to make long distance calls.

     -- Working with local telephone companies to help restore local
service.
                           # # #

Disclaimer: I'm just passing this along.
William Degnan,  Communications Network Solutions
-Independent Consultants in Telecommunications and Technology-
P.O. Drawer 9530       | wdegnan@mdf.fidonet.org | mfwic@mdf.fidonet.org
Austin, TX 78766-9530  | !wdegnan@attmail.com  | Voice +1 512 323 9383


[Moderator's Note: My sympathies go out to the people in Homestead, FL
and surrounding communities.  Homestead is 95 percent wiped out; the
town is totally demolished. All phone service is dead there.  As usual
in these situations, AT&T the company which can't be trusted to stay
in one piece lest they treat the come-latelys unfairly is leading the
way to restoration of the telephone network. Maybe someone from MCI
and/or Sprint can write and tell us what those companies are doing to
assist the relief effort in southern Florida today, and perhaps in New
Orleans on Wednesday.  :(    PAT]