US phone companies prepare for Sandy

Phone companies on the eastern seaboard are preparing today for the onslaught of Hurricane Sandy by topping up fuel for backup generators and lining up disaster recovery trailers to move into flooded areas after the storm passes.

At Verizon, the largest landline phone company on the East Coast, spokesman John Bonomo says the storm had not yet had any major effect, and the network is performing normally.

At AT&T, employees are adding portable generators to cell towers and checking on fuel levels, says spokesman Mark Siegel.

As usual, the phone companies are recommending that people use text messaging when disaster hits and network capacity is strained. Text messages use minimal network resources compared to phone calls and Web surfing.

AP