HTC Ready to Respond to Impacts from Hurricane Debby
Your Local Cooperative Is Committed To Keeping Families Connected During And After Storm
August 5, 2024, Conway, S.C.- HTC is prepared for the possible impacts from Hurricane Debby and ready to respond should outages occur due to strong, storm-force winds and heavy rain.
HTC is taking necessary measures to prepare for hurricane conditions by testing and fueling standby generators, inspecting network offices and equipment locations to prevent flooding, preparing fleet vehicles for deployment and other tasks associated with ensuring the safety of network equipment. HTC will be tracking the storm as it moves into our service area and managing our emergency operations center to monitor the network for any alarms.
“HTC crews and employees are preparing for the storm and are committed to keeping members connected when it matters most,” said Carlton Lewis, HTC CEO. “We urge everyone to have a family emergency plan in place in preparation for the possible impacts related to Hurricane Debby.”
Severe Weather Safety Tips
HTC wants members and area residents to be as prepared as possible. Here are some simple tips to minimize frustration and maximize safety in emergency situations:
- Have a family communications plan in place. –Designate someone out of the area as a central contact, and make certain all family members know who to contact if they become separated. Consider additional mobile phones for your family’s use. If you want to add additional mobile phones to your wireless service, remember to do so before an emergency.
- Keep the lines open. –HTC strongly encourages subscribers to limit phone use during periods of severe weather. Keep non-emergency calls to a minimum and limit your calls to the most important ones. Too many callers can jam telephone lines and overwhelm tower capacities. Refrain from calling 911 unless it is a true emergency.
- Power outages can be a problem. –It is important to note that in a power outage situation, voice services provided via cable modems and fiber to the home technology have a limited battery backup life (typically up to 8 hours) to keep those phone lines working. Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) services rely on a modem plugged into an electrical source. No electricity to your home means no phone service, particularly for cordless home telephones. Telephone service served via the older copper-based network is powered via the network and not dependent on the same electrical supply as your home.
- Keep wireless batteries charged. –Have an alternate plan to recharge your battery in case of power outages (i.e. charging via your car charger, power banks or portable chargers to give you extra talk time).
- Try text messaging. –Many times during an emergency such as a tropical storm or hurricane, text messaging will go through quicker than voice calls. More importantly, text messaging helps free up the phone lines for emergency officials.
- Use call forwarding in evacuation. –Since call forwarding is based out of the telephone central office, you can forward your home number to your wireless number in the event of an evacuation. You will get incoming calls from your landline phone, even if your local telephone service is disrupted at your home.
- Dial 843-365-2186 for repair service. –If your service is disrupted, dial 843-365-2186 or 611 toll free from any HTC landline phone to request repair service. Keep in mind that the loss of electrical power can sometimes result in the interruption of internet, telephone, and video service. As soon as the primary power supply is returned to our equipment, your service will once again be fully active. You may also use your My Account App to report outages via your mobile device.
- Lightning can be dangerous. –Limit your phone use to emergency calls only during inclement weather. Lightning can travel through phone lines resulting in severe injuries to anyone on that line.
For more information, visit www.htcinc.net/severe-weather.
About HTC
HTC is the largest telecommunications cooperative in the United States. Celebrating more than 70 years as the local leader in communications, HTC provides services in Horry, Georgetown and Marion counties. Utilizing the area’s most extensive fiber optic network, HTC service offerings include: Internet; Video; Security; Mobile; and Voice. HTC also offers advanced business services, including: Internet; Voice and Hosted Voice Solutions; IT Solutions such as Wi-Fi, Data Backup & Recovery and Firewalls; and Business Security. To learn more about HTC, visit www.htcinc.net. For additional information about HTC or becoming a member, call 843-365-2154.
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