BellSouth is prepared for the second landfall of Hurricane Katrina, expected in or near Louisiana, according to Merlin Villar, Regional Director for South Louisiana.

“Thanks to BellSouth’s advanced preparations for this year’s hurricane season, our network is prepared for Hurricane Katrina. Our back up systems and emergency procedures are in place and operational,” he said. “BellSouth’s network is resilient and reliable, and our employees work tirelessly to keep the phone lines working.”

Villar explained that since a hurricane can hit BellSouth territory in many parts of the state, the company has to prepare on a wide-scale basis.

“We have contingency plans in place for each area of Louisiana that is vulnerable. If a hurricane should strike, emergency procedures extending throughout BellSouth’s nine-state region go into effect,” he said.

Hundreds of portable generators are in warehouses throughout the Southeast on standby, ready to be loaded onto tractor trailers and transported to an area hit by a storm. In addition, BellSouth technicians can be reassigned to areas hardest hit by the storm if extensive restoration work needs to be done. Last year, many BellSouth technicians from Louisiana assisted with restoration efforts in Alabama and Florida.

“The number one cause of telephone outages during a storm and immediately after it has passed is an interruption of commercial power to telephone switching offices and area distribution facilities. That’s why we have battery back-up systems in place at each site,” he said.

Villar reminded customers that during power outages, cordless phones and other telecommunications equipment that relies on commercial power may not operate until electricity is restored, even if the telephone line is still working. Customers may want to keep a traditional telephone set that does not require electricity on hand for emergencies.

BellSouth makes hurricane advisories and updated post-disaster repair information available on its Web site.