DEP organizational chart for 9/11 emergency response, Sept 2001

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

Phone Service Improves, but Many Are Still Without Power in Lower Manhattan^ By TERRY PRISTIN At least 200,000 of the roughly While telephone service was far 500,000 phone lines south of 14th restored to the site late Wednesday, from normal in Manhattan yester­ Street remained out of service yes­ ' Mr. Rabe said, adding that the equip­ day and many people still had trou­ terday, although most of those lines ment there appeared to be function­ ble placing calls, service had appar- served locations that are either not ing normally yesterday. ently Improved. in use now or no longer exist, said Verizon said it continued to let -Most telephone disruptions have Peter Thonis, another Verizon users place free calls from the 4,000 ^n caused by the extraordinary spokesman. Overall, there are about Verizon pay phones in Manhattan to wlume of calls, which remained high 2 million phone lines in Manhattan. any point in the city. Ite many people returned to work. The 500,000 lines in southern Man­ At AT&T, Internet and other data MAbout 115 million phone calls are hattan are served by five Verizon transmission services were running ^ced in Manhattan on a normal switching centers, one of which is on smoothly, said Dave Johnson, a weekday. That number doubled on West Street near 7 World Trade. spokesman for AT&T Network Serv­ Tuesday after the World Trade Cen­ It lost power after the explosions, ices. He said the company would ter disaster and was expected to affecting not only the 200,000 phone have to reroute service that was reach about 220 million yesterday, lines but also about three million transmitted through fiber optic cable said Eric W. Rabe, a Verizon spokes­ private data lines for corporate cus­ lost in the attack. man. tomers. Those lines include about 20 “But in reaUty,’’ he said, “many of He said that it appeared that the percent of the data lines that serve the customers served by that equip­ percentage of successfully complet­ the New York Stock Exchange. ment are not there any more.” ed calls went up yesterday, although Upper levels of the West Street But another Internet service pro­ no figures were available. office, filled with communications vider, Earthlink, which is based in Wireless service also continued to equipment, were damaged by the Atlanta, has been unable to restore be touch and go yesterday because a twin towers’ fall and were penetrat­ service to 6,000 customers who use number of wireless antenna sites had ed by steel girders when 7 World its high-speed digital access lines. either been damaged or destroyed. Trade Center collapsed. But beyond The company said one of its routers, a piece of equipment that routes traf- Verizon said it had installed seven mobile antenna replacement sys­ fic over the Internet, was in a build­ tems in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Wireless and Internet ing at 23 Old Slip that had lost power. New Jersey. AT&T added six and Those customers now have to use Sprint two. Some Internet providers connections continue dial-up connections over regular were also experiencing problems. to be touch and go in phone lines, said Kevin Bender, an Ritch Blasi, a spokesman for Earthlink vice president. AT&T Wireless Services, said the company was continuing to urge cus­ Manhattan. In Lower Manhattan, about 360 Con Ed workers are trying to restore tomers to use their cellular phones only in emergencies. But Sprint re­ service to about 12,000 buildings ported that cellular traffic yesterday direct physical damage, perhaps Ve­ without electricity, 1,400 without ghs was only slightly higher than normal. rizon’s biggest problem on West and nearly 300 without steam, sai^ Electrical, gas and steam service Street is broken water mains. Michael Clendenin, a spokesman for were normal throughout the city, ex­ Even more than the West Street the utility. Mr. Clendenin said thecp cept for the areas affected by the loss office, however, the New York Stock was no estimate on when powgr of two substations that were knocked Exchange depends on a Verizon would be restored. out when 7 World Trade Center switching center on Broad Street While water supply was cut off in caught fire and collapsed. that handles about 80 percent of the an area much wider than the Worjd Water and sewer service were not exchange’s data lines. Trade Center, Charles G. Sturckepj affected outside the area from The Broad Street office was not the chief of staff for the city’s Dei Broadway to the Hudson River be­ physically damaged by the blasts but partment of Environmental Protect tween Murray and Rector Streets. lost power from Con Edison shortly tion, said that extensive closure was But many people outside the down­ after the explosions. Diesel genera­ required because five mains had to town area were affected by Verizon’s tors there have continued to provide be shut to cut off the supply to the problems. power, and commercial power was center. These five also feed nearby areas.

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