Telecommunications providers in Hawaii prepare for Hurricane Lane

Hawaii’s telecommunications providers assured customers that they are prepared for Hurricane Lane, but will only be able to restore any potential loss to Internet and mobile phone services once conditions are safe.

At the same time, Gov. David Ige said during a press conference this afternoon that it was a possibility due to the hurricane, and that it would be a high priority for the state to work on restoring it quickly.

“Certainly, disruptions in telecommunications of any sort when we have a major hurricane coming through an area, it’s a possibility,” said Ige. “Clearly communications is a high priority function, and so if we do lose service, we’ll be committed, and it will be a priority to work with the service providers to restore service as quickly as possible. We are not aware of any service disruptions at this time.”

The following is a list of information from telecommunications providers in Hawaii on how they are preparing for Hurricane Lane and how to reach them.

>> Hawaiian Telcom

Customers experiencing service disruptions can call Hawaiian Telcom’s 24-hour Customer Care Center at 643-6111 or submitting an online support request. Hawaiian Telcom spokeswoman Ann Nishida Fry said: “We can begin repairs when weather conditions have returned to normal and it is safe for our employees to begin the work.”

>> Spectrum

Service updates, outage information and other resources are available at the Spectrum Storm Center. During a power outage, Spectrum equipment will not work. When a power outage is over, customers can call contact Spectrum at 643-2100 or visit a store. Some Spectrum stores in Hawaii have temporarily changed their hours of operation due to Hurricane Lane. More tips on preparing for a storm are available at Spectrum.com/Stormprep.

>> AT&T

AT&T spokeswoman Stephanie Kirk said the company is closely monitoring Hurricane Lane and has topped off its fuel generators, tested its high-capacity, back-up batteries at cell sites and placed sandbags down at its facilities in Hawaii.

AT&T also has disaster response equipment and personnel on standby to respond, when possible. The company has Cell on Wheels (COWs) and Cells on Light Trucks (COLTs) in the state, and a Network Disaster Recovery team that is ready to deploy. Customers can contact AT&T by dialing 611 from a mobile phone, calling 800-331-0500 or go online.

>> Verizon

Verizon has also been monitoring Hurricane Lane and has a fleet of COLTs and COWs ready to be deployed, if necessary. Verizon also has backup generators, which have been topped off with fuel, and a network staff will be on 24-hour shifts to monitor everything in real time. Verizon also has surveillance drones ready to assess areas that are hard to reach.

“Safety is our utmost concern for our employees as well as our vendor partners,”said Hawaii and Alaska vice president Irwin Siongco. “Once we have clearance from the Civil Defense and first responder group, if they give us the green light, we’ll do what we need to do to get those sites back online.”

Customers can contact Verizon by dialing 611 from a mobile phone, calling 800-922-0204 or go online.

>> T-Mobile

T-Mobile has been closely monitoring the storm and is ready to respond, according to a news release. T-Mobile dealt with three, significant, back-to-back storms last year, and expected to be more active this year, so had made hurricane preparations.

Emergency equipment, including portable generators, fuel trucks and mobile COWs are ready, along with rapid-response teams that are on standby to minimize potential service disruptions. Customers with power but no mobile service can try Wi-Fi calling, which allows customers to text, make and receive voice calls via any Wi-Fi connection. Customers can call 611 from their T-Mobile handsets or visit my.t-mobile.com for help.