Like thousands of people up and down the East Coast, I found myself stuck indoors during back-to-back, record-breaking snowstorms this week that have deposited as much as four-feet of snow in some areas.
Even before the first snowflakes began to fall, employees throughout our Eastern Division were in full prep mode to make sure we had staffing, equipment and resources in place.
Our network successfully supported a record number of customers — including federal government employees in the Beltway and business people all over the East Coast — who logged into their workplace’s virtual private networks. Our network also successfully supported millions of On Demand streams during the height of the storm as people were hunkered down and wanted entertainment.
To help lessen the storms’ impact to our customers, employees were positioned in strategic locations across our communities where they refueled and deployed hundreds of generators, coordinated with state emergency personnel and shipped fiber to areas it would be most needed. They’ve been working around the clock to rapidly respond and restore service as it becomes safe to do.
The local electric companies also have been great partners in coordinating with us so we can restore customers. And we’ve been proactively communicating status updates with our customers in a variety of ways, including via SMS messaging sent directly to their cell phones.
I’ve also heard some great stories about how our employees took it upon themselves to help each other and our customers. People with 4-wheel drive trucks picked up others and took them to work, and employees with plows helped others dig out. Others slept on cots in offices or worked from different offices than their normal locations so they could be closer to where they could make a difference. Some even prepared food for their co-workers who made it to dispatch centers and call centers.
Their commitment isn’t going unnoticed.
A resident of the Washington, D.C. area sent a picture of one of our trucks with a message saying, "I couldn’t believe it. This is dedication!"
From Shore News Today columnist, Norm Cohen:
I want to begin this column by thanking all of the emergency responders and workers, the snow plow operators, police, and fire men and women, Atlantic City Electric and Comcast employees and TV40 weather people and reporters, plus everyone else who has worked so hard to get things back to something approaching normal following this weekend’s massive blizzard.
And there’s this blog posting from the Cape May County Herald in New Jersey:
Also, I’ve seen at least 5 Comcast trucks out over the weekend…
Our goal is to deliver an outstanding experience everyday. That’s our promise to each and every customer, and I think the events surrounding this week’s blizzard underscore just how much of a commitment our employees have for each other and our customers.