'Til the COLTs and COWs Come Home

By: Caitlyn Wooldridge, AT&T News Team

Disasters happen. It’s inevitable.

Whether it’s wind, rain or fire, our teams are prepared to step in to restore service, charge devices and offer help.

This summer, the country saw wildfires rage in California and dangerous levels of water in West Virginia. And AT&T techs didn’t delay.

Gloom in the golden state

These days, wildfires are about as common as abundant sunshine in California. They claim lives, cause damage and prevent communication. But that’s where we come in.

Our Network Disaster Recovery (NDR) team set up shop throughout the summer to keep people connected. As several fires raged across thousands of acres of land—destroying homes, lives and means of communicating—the team jumped into action.

The goal? Get people connected. Because without communication, the process of rescue and recovery becomes problematic—almost impossible.

Raging waters

At the end of June, West Virginia saw historic flooding. Within a single day, enough rain fell to take over 20 lives and 1,200 homes.

This left people devastated and looking for answers.

'Til the COLTs and COWs come home

We’re not talking about barn animals. These offer temporary mobile coverage and usually come in the form of a truck or trailer hitched behind.

During the disasters, the NDR team rolled these into different parts of the state to provide coverage for first responders. But AT&T teams didn’t stop at their day jobs. Other parts of the company brought in water, emergency kits, charging stations, tablets and mobile hotspots so people could reach their loved ones.

Because life isn’t just about phone calls, video chats and text messages—it’s about the people behind them.