telecom@eecs.nwu.edu (TELECOM Moderator) (10/19/89)
[Moderator's Note: Pacific Bell has issued the following press release
relating to communications in the San Fransisco area. PT]
PACIFIC BELL WITHSTANDS SAN FRANCISCO EARTHQUAKE; HOWEVER PUBLIC
URGED NOT TO CALL BAY AREA TO AVOID 'GRIDLOCK'
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Pacific Bell's
telecommunications network has withstood Tuesday's devastating
earthquake with minor damage, however, the extraordinary numbers of
people calling in and out of the Bay area are causing sporadic delays
in service.
"Pacific Bell's precautionary efforts demonstrated that despite
the strength of a 6.9 earthquake, the local telecommunications system
remains, essentially, intact," said Jerry Sinn, chair of the company's
Emergency Operating Center in San Ramon.
The majority of telephone service delays are due to an overload of
the network caused by customers picking up their telephones and
calling friends and loved ones following the quake.
"We are joining with other telephone companies throughout the
country in urging the public not to call into the Bay area for at
least 24 hours, so that the network can handle emergency calls without
delay," said Sinn.
Within hours telephone crews on site were assessing damage,
relaying information to the Emergency Operating Center which in turn
began coordinating restoral efforts. Technicians and telephone
operators are standing by in Los Angeles and Sacramento to join in the
restoral efforts if necessary.
"Preplanning is the key word here," Sinn continued. "Since the
1971 Sylmar earthquake, Pacific Bell has instituted a number of
measures to minimize damage to its telecommunications network."
They include:
o The modernization of telephone switching equipment which allows
fast restoral due to its solid state components;
o Telephone central offices which now have reinforced flooring and
mechanical braces above equipment frames and steel reinforcements in
the underground vaults;
o A computerized network monitoring system that enables managers
to re-route calls going to and from affected areas;
o Fiber optic cables which have been installed with 25 feet of
extra cable. This slack absorbs the pulling strain that an eartquake
generates;
o Pacific Bell has participated in a number of local, state and
national emergency preparedness drills to ensure our effectiveness.
Telephone customers can also do some "pre-planning" by looking
through their Pacific Bell White Pages directory. In the front of
each directory is a Survival Guide which outlines basic emergency
procedures and preventative measures, including earthquake assistance.
10/18/89
/CONTACT: Lissa Zanville of Pacific Bell, 213-975-5547/