Optimum Prepares to Keep Customers and Communities Connected During Hurricane Season
Author: Sean O’Connell, SVP Regional General Manager
With predictions indicating another active hurricane season, Optimum is activating its pre-season preparations to ensure our experts and assets are in place ahead of any weather activity.
Each storm season brings challenges that result in lessons learned. Last year our team responded to many events, with hurricanes Beryl and Helene posing the most challenges. There were stories of resilience and dedication from our team that highlighted our commitment to connecting the communities that we serve.
No two storms are the same and they often leave roads impassable, heavy debris and often exposed, live electrical wires and other dangerous materials throughout the area. Optimum plans extensively for these scenarios to ensure our experts and assets are ready.
Our Experts
Our response team is comprised of field service, construction, outside plant and fiber experts to be on standby for any response scenario.
In the event of a storm, these employees stage safely in nearby locations and are first on the scene to conduct response assessments following any natural disaster to determine damage and decide the immediate next steps to safely begin restoration.
Our Assets
Optimum works alongside local, state and national officials to monitor the projected path of any storm. This allows us to stage assets and protect important network facilities to help minimize impact for consumers and businesses.
This includes staging Wi-Fi trailers, charging stations, amplifiers and generators at the ready. Critical supplies like fuel, PPE, fuel and water are also transported and available.
It’s all about Local
Most importantly, Optimum’s experts know the local communities that we serve. They are members of the community and strive to go above and beyond to re-connect their neighbors, local businesses and critical infrastructure. Last season for example, our director of field service slept in our local Hendersonville, NC network facility so he could be available 24/7 for Hurricane Helene restoration. This response team also prioritized restoring connectivity at essential customers, like a major hospital, in less than 24 hours following significant damage to network infrastructure.
Also, last season mother nature brought heavy flooding and wind to the Texas coastline with hurricane Beryl. While power posed as a significant challenge, our teams brought generators and staged wi-fi hotspots and charging stations throughout the company’s impacted footprint.
Storm recovery is an unfortunate time that reminds us how truly dedicated and talented our field service, outside plant and construction partners are. When most are fleeing away from the approaching storm, our team is headed safely towards it, ready for anything.