Internet firms upped staffing before storm.
As Tropical Storm Henri moved through Connecticut Sunday, telecommunication companies said they were ready to repair outages at a time when many are still working from home.
While much of the focus has fallen on the potential for dayslong power outages, recent damaging storms have shown that the same infrastructure critical for electricity can cut people off from their phones and internet connection.
Lara Pritchard, senior director of communications for the Northeast region for Spectrum, said it was closely monitoring Henri’s path, which changed course on
Sunday and made landfall just over the border in Rhode Island, lessening the blow on Connecticut.
“Teams are connecting regularly to monitor Henri’s track to safely pre-position staff, materials like fiber-optic cable, vehicles, fuel, generators and other supplies so we can react quickly to assess and repair any damage as soon as it’s safe and we have access to damage sites,” Pritchard said.
As Connecticut still faces the COVID-19 pandemic, internet connections have become more essential than ever as many people are still working from home.
But following Tropical Storm Isaias in August 2020, people faced connectivity issues for days after the storm, and struggled to reach customer service to get back online. Though not as severe as what was faced by the power companies, internet and phone providers faced criticism following that storm.
Much like how power companies prepared for the worst Sunday when Henri impacted Connecticut, these internet and phone providers were beefing up staffing to get customers quickly back online.
In a notice to customers, Optimum said it had been in communication with local authorities and energy companies to ensure coordination on any restoration efforts needed.
“While some outages cannot be prevented, as they’re caused by downed wires and power lines, our fully staffed teams are standing by and ready to make repairs as commercial power is restored,” Optimum said in the notice to customers.
Kristen Roberts, vice president of communications for Comcast’s Western New England Region, said its Xfinity services could be impacted if there are commercial outages.
“We’ve been actively preparing for Tropical Storm Henri so we can support our customers by responding quickly to any impact from the storm may have on our service,” Roberts said. “We’ve been increasing staffing, and we will be strategically placing employees throughout the Connecticut area with backup generators and other supplies as needed.”
Roberts said for most customers, services should be restored after commercial power is back and access to damaged infrastructure and downed lines have been cleared.
“It is important to note that even though power might have been restored to an individual's home, there are instances where power has not yet been fully restored to the local Xfinity distribution point that serves the neighborhood,” she said. “Once cleared and access is gained, we will work around the clock until services are fully restored for every customer.”