Severe Winter Weather Threatens Georgia

ALPHARETTA, Ga., Feb. 25, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- As severe winter weather threatens Georgia this week, Verizon Wireless urges residents to have their emergency communications plans in place. The company offers the following tips:

• Keep phones, tablets, batteries, chargers and other equipment in a dry, accessible location. Simple zip-lock storage bags will shield devices, and today there are many waterproof phones, cases and other protective accessories.
• Keep phone and tablet batteries fully charged – in case local power is lost – well before warnings are issued.
• Have additional charged batteries and car-charger adapters available for back-up power. Numerous chargers, including solar-powered devices, make it easy to stay powered up.
• Maintain a list of emergency numbers – police and fire agencies; power and insurance companies; family, friends and co-workers; etc. – and program them into your wireless devices before an emergency arises.
• Distribute wireless phone numbers to family members and friends.
• Limit non-emergency calls to conserve battery power and free-up wireless networks for emergency agencies and operations.
• Send brief text messages rather than voice calls.
• Use a free service such as Verizon Cloud, which provides 5MB of data storage, to save your contacts and other important information on a secure server in case your phone or tablet is lost or damaged.
• Access dozens of free weather-, news- and safety-related services for smartphones and tablets. With 4G LTE technology, users can enjoy high-speed downloads, high-definition pictures and video, and advanced performance in a broad array of these applications. 

According to the National Weather Service, North Georgia, including the metro Atlanta area, is expected to experience ice, sleet, snow and freezing rain beginning Wednesday morning, Feb. 25, and lasting through Thursday, Feb. 26. The Verizon Wireless network is built for reliability in emergencies, with battery back-up power at all facilities and generators installed at all switching facilities and many cell site locations. These preparations have proved critical during and after storms.

"We work hard to ensure our customers and Georgia's emergency personnel can use their phones when and where they need it. We prepare our network all year long, through extensive investments, to be ready for storms and other emergencies," said Jonathan LeCompte, president of Verizon Wireless' Georgia/Alabama Region.  

For more information on the Verizon Wireless network, products and services, visit www.verizonwireless.com.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation's largest and most reliable 4G LTE network.  As the largest wireless company in the U.S., Verizon Wireless serves 108.2 million retail customers, including 102.1 million retail postpaid customers.  Verizon Wireless is wholly owned by Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ).  For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com.  For the latest news and updates about Verizon Wireless, visit our News Center at http://www.verizonwireless.com/news or follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/VZWNews. 

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SOURCE Verizon Wireless