Weathering the Storm

Storm surges. Inland flooding. Torrential rain. Punishing winds.

The 2013 Atlantic hurricane season kicks off on June 1 and Verizon is readying its networks and the teams that operate them to help customers weather what could be an active season.

National Hurricane Preparedness Week 2013 runs from May 26 through June 1.

Weather forecasters are predicting 2013 may be a busy storm season, with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook forecasting a 70 percent likelihood of 13 to 20 named storms of which 7 to 11 could become hurricanes including 3 to 6 major hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5; winds of 111 mph or higher).

Hurricane hazards come in many forms and Verizon stresses that planning and preparedness are the best defenses against emergency situations that can impact customers — from consumers to utilities to healthcare providers to government agencies.

“Preparation is the key for responding to the aftermath of hurricanes or other disasters”, said Dick Price, Verizon’s chief business continuity officer. “Verizon uses an all-hazards approach to emergency management, which enables us to plan for almost any type of event that could affect our business operations. We’re constantly evaluating what we can do to better prepare for a major weather event, how to maintain service during the event, and how to quickly make repairs when and if network damage occurs.

Verizon Enterprise Solutions works with large businesses and government agencies on planning for unforeseen events and offers business continuity services and a broad array of professional consulting services to help protect operations.

Chief information officers, chief technology officers and business continuity professionals should assess their risk and regularly review and test plans that will help their organizations continue to operate and remain productive in the event of an emergency. For instance, in addition to planning to protect networks and systems, customers should consider using cloud and network services for redundancy to support critical operations or telematics solutions to keep tabs on fleets in severe weather events.

Verizon’s Business Continuity and Emergency Management teams throughout the year monitor, prepare and respond to weather-related and man-made events – including hurricanes, tornadoes, typhoons, floods, wildfires, earthquakes, train derailments, hazardous material incidents, pandemics, data breach attempts and workplace violence, as well as any issue that could impact areas where the company has employees, network facilities and other assets.

When a major incident occurs, Verizon activates its National Emergency Coordinating Center. The center engages dozens of Verizon departments around the world and develops overall incident priorities and coordinates the execution of a single-incident action plan of recovery and restoration activities.

Verizon also can deploy its Emergency Response Mobile Communications Service fleet, which can provide critical communication services for business and government customers anywhere in North America.  Using specially equipped vehicles and trailers, Verizon technical experts can reestablish communications for customers during unplanned disruptions resulting from natural or human-caused events.  Each vehicle has been converted into a state-of-the-art mobile communications facility offering voice and Internet capabilities.

For more information on emergency preparedness, including helpful tips, visit www.ready.gov.