Telecommunications and technology service providers are readying networks, operation centers, retail locations and workforce for the possibility that Hurricane Francine will cause extensive damage across Mississippi and Alabama.
“We are taking this situation very seriously and we will be ready for whatever occurs. Our preparations are designed to give customers maximum reliability from their wireless service and home fiber internet at the time of greatest need,” Charles Watson, senior vice president of Network Operations for C Spire, said. “When disaster strikes, individuals, families and emergency response personnel depend on connectivity as a lifeline to the outside world. We are committed to providing our customers with the best network coverage possible in every situation.”
C Spire uses backup batteries and diesel generators at sites and has planned for replacement fuel supplies in case normal fuel delivery options are interrupted by commercial power outages.
The company will rely on hurricane-ready “super switches” in Mobile, Alabama and in Hattiesburg that provide added protection and service for customers in south Mississippi, and along the Gulf Coast in south Alabama and the Florida panhandle.
Both high-tech mobile phone switching facilities, which are designed to withstand a Category 5 hurricane with winds up to 200 miles an hour, connect millions of calls, wireless data transmissions and other critical services daily for consumer and business customers. In addition to hardened and reinforced shells, the all-steel and concrete structures house large-scale 500-kilowatt diesel power generators, a grid of backup batteries and other redundant backup systems, operations and technologies.
For more information about emergency planning and communication tips, visit the National Hurricane Center (NHC) or Ready.gov. For a free hurricane preparedness guide, visit the NHC or the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.
