PANAMA CITY, Fla., Oct. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- WOW! Internet,
Cable & Phone (NYSE: WOW), a leading broadband and
communications service provider, is taking swift action in response
to the damage caused by Hurricane Michael to ensure the safety of
its employees and restore service to its customers in the company's
Panama City and Dothan markets.
WOW!'s engineers and network technicians have assessed the
damage to its Dothan, Ala. system
and a significant part of the network has been restored. WOW!
predicts full restoration of the network as power is restored.
Customers can expect a gradual return of their internet, cable and
phone services over the next few days.
Access to Panama City is
restricted to essential personnel and emergency services only and
power remains down throughout the community. WOW!'s main office in
the city was severely damaged. Alternate workspace will be required
for its employees once it is safe for them to return to the
area.
There is wide-spread power loss in Panama City, however WOW!'s headend is
operating on generator power and fuel trucks are staged to enter
the area as soon as they are allowed. At this time, approximately
30,000 WOW! customers are without service.
WOW! continues to account for all its Panama City employees and has gathered
critical supplies – food, water and safe living options – for those
who need them.
"Our hearts go out to our neighbors and friends affected by this
historic storm," said Teresa Elder,
CEO at WOW!. "We are fully committed to serving all those affected
by Hurricane Michael and are working with the community to help
restore communication services to Panama
City and Dothan as quickly
as possible."
WOW!'s networks in Augusta,
Columbus, Georgia, and Charleston
sustained less severe impacts from the storm and are open and
operating normally.
WOW! has committed to a $25,000
donation to assist its employees with their recovery. Additionally,
WOW! employees are donating to recovery efforts through the
American Red Cross at www.rdcrss.org/wowinternetphonecable. This
microsite is open to WOW! customers and the general public. All
proceeds go to the American Red Cross.
The best way for customers to contact WOW! for more information,
or to report an outage, is to visit wowway.com or to call
1-855-4-WOW-WAY for recorded real-time updates. The company is also
providing updates on Twitter and Facebook.
WOW! is required by law to follow all emergency management
procedures and evacuation mandates issued by the state; however,
all storm-related repairs will be prioritized and resolved, as soon
as it is safe for WOW! engineers to do so.
About WOW! Internet, Cable & Phone
WOW! is one of the nation's leading broadband providers, with a
service area that passes over three million residential, business
and wholesale consumers. WOW! provides service in 19 markets,
primarily in the Midwest and Southeast, including Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Maryland, Alabama, Tennessee, South
Carolina, Florida and
Georgia. With an expansive
portfolio of advanced services including high-speed Internet
services, cable TV, phone, business data, voice, and cloud
services, the company is dedicated to providing outstanding service
at affordable prices. Visit wowway.com for more information.
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SOURCE WideOpenWest, Inc.