AT&T announced additional efforts to strengthen the emergency communications infrastructure and calling capabilities throughout the hurricane stricken Gulf Coast community.

"There's no way to quickly rebuild the communities or lives destroyed by a disaster of this magnitude," said AT&T Chairman and CEO David W. Dorman. "But we can facilitate restoration efforts and aid those whose lives have been disrupted by restoring crucial communications along the devastated Gulf Coast."

AT&T has offered its services to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and will establish IP-based calling centers where directed by the federal agency to give evacuees and emergency workers access to free calling.



By employing its AT&T CallVantage Service, the company can quickly provision broadband phone lines allowing callers to make free local and long distance calls to friends and families. The first of these calling centers is expected to be operational within a week's time.

To that end, the company announced the donation of 35,000 AT&T PrePaid Phone Cards for distribution to victims of Hurricane Katrina. The 30-minute cards will be distributed by the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army to aid victims throughout the nation.

And, the AT&T Foundation has increased its cash donation to the Red Cross to $1 million. Additionally, it has quadrupled its matching employee contributions for up to a total of $500,000, and set up a fund through the AT&T Pioneers to assist company employees who have been directly affected by the hurricane.

In Houston, AT&T is working with Avaya, Cisco Systems and SBC to establish a communications network for refugees who have been temporarily moved to the Astrodome.

The ad hoc coalition of telecom companies will deliver local, long distance and Internet services to Louisiana residents taking refuge in Houston. In total, more than 1,000 phone lines, as well as a data infrastructure, will be available in the vicinity of the Astrodome to allow people to call family members and friends.

Working closely with the Red Cross, and other technology companies, AT&T enhanced the communications network that it installed last year to support the 2004 Super Bowl hosted in Reliant Stadium. This IP infrastructure will make Houston the central hub for a state-of-the-art VoIP (Voice over IP) network being deployed to support the establishment of refugee camps throughout the region.

"Fortunately, AT&T had assets in place that allowed us to quickly assist the communications effort," said Dorman. "AT&T's employees are extremely dedicated to serving the community in this time of need."

AT&T's Internet and data networks have remained in service without interruption from the hurricane, and the company has provided several Emergency Communications Satellite Units that have been in use since Tuesday by the Louisiana State Police and civil emergency-communications authorities in Mississippi.