AT&T Providing Relief to Customers Affected by Hurricane Lane

August 24, 2018 9:00 a.m. CT

UPDATED: Waived Fees for Customers Impacted by Hurricane 

Our thoughts are with everyone affected by Hurricane Lane

We are automatically issuing credits and waiving additional charges from August 24 through August 28 to provide unlimited talk, text, and data for AT&T wireless customers and unlimited talk and text to AT&T PREPAID customers in the State of Hawaii.¹

This applies to AT&T wireless customers with billing addresses and AT&T PREPAID customers with phone numbers in the State of Hawaii.

Customers in these areas may still receive data alert notifications during these protected dates, but billing will reflect the correct data charges.

We’ll keep you updated on this blog regarding developments.

Video & Home Internet Customers

Additionally, affected video and home internet customers can contact us at 1-800-288-2020, with questions about their service, questions about damaged equipment or to voluntarily pause their service to suspend charges. Legacy DIRECTV Customers can contact 1-800-531-5000 for questions about their service, questions about damaged equipment or to voluntarily pause their service to suspend charges.

¹ Location based on billing address for AT&T wireless customers and billing phone number for AT&T PREPAID customers. Credits will post in 2-3 billing cycles. Applicable taxes may be estimates and may include administrative and government fees. Dates based on local time zones.

As Hurricane Lane Approaches, AT&T Prepares Network, Offers Tips to Help You Stay Connected

August 23, 2018, 8:00 a.m. CT

We have started our storm preparedness process as Hurricane Lane tracks toward the Hawaiian Islands.

Our network preparations include:

• Topping off generators with fuel at our cell sites and switch facilities.
• Testing high-capacity back-up batteries at cell sites.
• Protecting our physical facilities against flooding with sandbags.
• Staging emergency response equipment in strategic locations for quick deployment following the storm.

We encourage Hawaii residents and businesses to prepare for the storm as well. Below are communication tips to help you stay connected.

Tips:

• Save your smartphone’s battery life. In case of a power outage, extend your device’s battery life by putting it in power-save mode, turning off Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, deleting apps, or putting your phone in Airplane Mode. This may prevent you from using certain features, but will ultimately save battery power.
• Keep your mobile devices charged. Be sure to have another way to charge your smartphone if the power goes out. 
• Keep your mobile devices dry. Mobile phones can be a critical lifeline during a storm. To protect yours, store it in a water-resistant case, floating waterproof case or plastic bag. A car charger or back-up battery pack can come in handy. If you have multiple devices to keep charged, consider a multi-port back-up battery pack.
• Back up important information and protect vital documents. Back up insurance papers, medical information and the like to the Cloud or your computer. With cloud storage, you can access your data from any connected device.
• Have a family communications plan. Choose someone out of the area as a central contact in case your family is separated. Most importantly, practice your emergency plan in advance.
• Store emergency contacts in your mobile phone. Numbers should include the police department, fire station, hospital, and family members.
• Forward your home number to your mobile number in the event of an evacuation. Because call forwarding is based out of the telephone central office, you will get calls from your landline phone even if your local telephone service is down. If the central office is not operational, services like voicemail and call forwarding may be useful.
• Track the storm on your mobile device. If you lose power at your home during a storm, you can use your mobile device to access local weather reports.
• Take advantage of the camera on your smartphone. Be sure to use the camera on your phone to take, store and send photos and video clips of damage to your insurance company.
• Use location-based technology. These services can help you find evacuation routes and track a lost family member’s mobile phone.
• Be prepared for high call volume and keep non-emergency calls to a minimum. If there is severe weather, chances are many people will be attempting to place calls at the same time. The increased calling volume may create network congestion. If you get a “fast busy” signal on your wireless phone or a slow dial tone on your landline phone, hang up, wait several seconds and then try again.
• Try texting vs. calling. Because it requires fewer network resources, text messages may go through more quickly than voice calls.

AT&T Networks Prepare for Hurricane Lane

August 23, 2018, 8:00 a.m. CT

AT&T’s Network Disaster Recovery Team Takes on Hurricane 

AT&T* is prepared for Hurricane Lane with an arsenal of disaster response equipment and personnel on standby.

We have started our storm preparedness process as we closely monitor Hurricane Lane. The storm is expected to impact the Hawaiian Islands as early as Thursday. Our preparation includes:

• Topping off fuel generators.
• Testing high-capacity back-up batteries at cell sites.
• Protecting physical facilities against flooding with sandbags.
• Staging other emergency response equipment in strategic locations for quick deployment following the storm.

“Customers rely on us, especially during major storms," said Bob Bass, president, AT&T Hawaii.  "That's why we practice readiness drills and simulations throughout the year. We do all we can to have our networks prepared when severe weather strikes. We’ve worked for the past few days to position equipment and crews and are ready to respond if needed. We’re closely linked with Hawaii public officials in their storm response efforts.”

Our AT&T National Disaster Recovery (NDR) program is one of the industry’s largest and most advanced disaster response programs. The NDR fleet includes hundreds of technology recovery and support trailers nationwide that can be quickly deployed to support customers and first responders.

Response equipment readied in the wake of an event may include:

• Mobile cell sites and mobile command centers like Cell on Wheels (COWs) and Cell on Light Trucks (COLTs)
• Emergency communications vehicles (ECVs)
• Flying Cell on Wings (Flying COWs)
• Drones
• A self-sufficient base camp. This is complete with sleeping tents, bathrooms, kitchen, laundry facilities, on-site nurse and meals ready to eat (MREs).
• Hazmat equipment and supplies
• Technology and support trailers to provide infrastructure support and mobile heating ventilation and air conditioning
• Internal and external resources for initial assessment and recovery efforts