Anthony Leone and his wife, Corinne Saunders, have already started watching the weather.In a few weeks, they'll be filling coolers and plugging in generators.
He has lived in North Carolina's Outer Banks for more than 20 years.So he's familiar with this routine that precedes the inevitable — hurricane season.As for their cell phones? "We just plan ahead to not use [them]."Hurricane season runs from June to November, and the National Weather Service said in May it's predicting below-normal activity in the Atlantic region for the first time since 2015.
But the chance for at least one very powerful storm remains.Even though there may be slightly less hurricane activity this year, high winds and rain can still interrupt the power supply stationary cell towers rely on.As a result, cellphone carriers are fortifying their preparations with newer tools such as artificial intelligence and drones, so customers in the path of a hurricane can continue to communicate with loved ones, work from home and render aid.
Verizon Wireless starts its hurricane response plans about a week before one is forecasted in an area, according to Srini Kalapala, Verizon's senior vice president of wireless engineering and operations.Before a storm, Verizon uses drones to take pictures of a coverage area.
It then takes more pictures after a storm to assess the damage.AI sends a precise location of the damage to engineers and technicians as they start their repairs."Hurricanes, especially — you don't understand the damage until it's fully done," Kalapala said.Verizon has an assortment of mobile tools should the company's stationary cell towers give out during a hurricane.
Many of them have animals for codenames; for example, COW stands for "cell on wheels," and a HAWK, or "high altitude wireless kennewhat," is a drone that can carry small towers to provide service from the sky.Kalapala said these tools have helped shave restoration times down to minutes and hours.AT&T also makes prepar...