“It is heartbreaking to witness a disaster of this magnitude; our hearts and full support go out to the communities being impacted by Hurricane Harvey, including our own customers and employees,” said Verizon Chairman & CEO Lowell McAdam. “Verizon is committed to working alongside disaster relief partners to help return a sense of normalcy to residents and restore the areas impacted by the storm. Houston and South Texas are vital to the fabric of America and we want to be on the front lines of the rebuilding efforts.”
Verizon is also offering support for the relief efforts in the following ways:
- Relieving postpaid customers of data, talk and text charges and giving prepaid customers an extra 3 GB to be used for data, talk and text from August 26 through September 15. The September 15 date reflects a one-week extension to what was previously announced.
- Deploying mobile equipment including Cells on Wheels (COWs), and Cells on Light Trucks (COLTS) to supplement service in areas of South Texas that need extra network capacity. Verizon has staged additional equipment and is prepared for rapid deployment as needed in hard-hit areas. This initiative is part of a network investment of nearly $1 billion in 2016 in the state of Texas.
- Working closely with several federal and local government agencies to help support first responders on the ground with much needed communications services.
- Staffing shelters with Verizon employees in Houston, Dallas and San Antonio to assist first responders and displaced residents with mobile charging, internet access and other communications needs.
- Along with its subsidiary Oath, the company is providing financial support to residents of Houston and South Texaswith dollar-for-dollar matches of employees’ contributions to select relief-focused organizations. Oath also will match consumers’ contributions to select relief-focused organizations when they donate after visiting one of Oath’s web properties. More information can be found at https://yahoo.benevity.org/community.
- Offering emergency financial assistance to employees who have been affected by this tragedy though both its employee assistance program and its VtoV program where employees can donate funds to help fellow employees affected by a natural or personal disaster. In addition, to reinforce our long- term commitment to the communities we serve, Verizon will be offering its more than 10,000 employees who work in the states of Texas and Louisianathe opportunity to volunteer for the Harvey recovery effort over the coming months and receive up to a week of paid volunteer time.
About Verizon
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ), headquartered in New York City, has a diverse workforce of 163,400 and generated nearly $126 billion in 2016 revenues. Verizon operates America’s most reliable wireless network and the nation’s premier all-fiber network, and delivers integrated solutions to businesses worldwide. Its Oath subsidiary houses more than 50 media and technology brands that engage about 1 billion people around the world.
