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Throughout the year, communities across the country may face a number of natural disasters — hurricanes, tornados, wildfires and earthquakes — all of which can bring life-threatening conditions and cause devastation. In the face of any one of these natural events, major concerns center around the safety and well-being of people in impacted communities, from residents to first responders helping the community in the aftermath.

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<a href="https://www.t-mobile.com/">T-Mobile</a> knows how important maintaining connectivity is for evacuation coordination, rescue efforts, calling a loved one to check in and more. We are committed to doing as much as we can for our customers by ensuring our network is ready and our emergency teams are prepared with the tools, equipment and gear they need to keep our customers connected.

Preparing for a Natural Disaster T-Mobile works hard to prepare for emergencies and natural disasters that may impact our network, however in the lead up to North America’s 'disaster season,’ marked by the start of hurricane season around June 1, we make a number of <a href="https://www.t-mobile.com/news/community/preparing-for-the-2020-hurricane-season">preparations</a> to ready our network and emergency response. This includes moving our extensive fleet of equipment from warehouse locations and strategically placing them in U.S. regions that are traditionally most vulnerable to severe storm conditions.

Once in the thick of disaster season, the T-Mobile Emergency Management Team (EMT) partners closely with the <a href="https://www.weather.gov/">National Weather Service</a> and other partners, like <a href="https://www.stormgeo.com/">StormGeo</a>, to track storms’ paths and projected areas of impact. We use this information to inform preparations and decide if and where our equipment and teams are needed, and we proceed to proactively send people, supplies and equipment to locations close to the projected areas of impact so that we can quickly and conveniently deploy in the aftermath of a storm, as needed.

First Response After a storm passes through, our teams immediately get to work assessing the network remotely to determine any impacts to cell sites in the area. At the same time, field teams survey conditions on the ground and work with local authorities to ensure safe access into the area from their pre-event locations.

As our EMT assesses their response to best keep our customers connected, they also work very closely with local authorities to determine when it is safe to enter the impacted areas to carry out any repairs, or deploy a number of solutions that can keep cell sites operational, or provide coverage in the event sites are damaged in the storm.

Equipment The T-Mobile EMT utilizes a variety of high-end technology and devices because we know that having the right equipment is critical. To that effect, we’ve specially designed and built some of our equipment and resources to meet our unique response needs to keep our customers in the most vulnerable communities connected.

Here’s a look at the latest and greatest used by our EMT!

Generators All mobile networks rely on commercial power to operate. So, when a power grid is affected by a hurricane, storm, fire, earthquake, etc. as a result of damage caused by flooding or blown-over poles, the network will be interrupted and customers lose service.

When there is a power outage, generators are a key piece of portable equipment that our EMT utilizes to provide temporary power to cell sites connected to the affected power grid. After determining a cell site needs power, our team will set up and connect the generator to the site to restore service. Though there may be some instances, due to terrain, site access, resident restrictions or unsafe conditions that may prevent our teams from deploying generators to a site.

Our EMT utilize several of the highest-quality, best performing generator units available on the market. Plus, all new generators we have invested in meet Tier 4 emission standards, which allows our team to deploy them in every state in the country, including those with the strictest standards. Generator units are large, weighing approximately 4,000 pounds, and run on diesel fuel. So, once set up at a site, our teams will create a refueling schedule and return to the site to refuel the generator as needed until commercial power is back up in an affected area.

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Satellites In instances where there is complete lack of service in an impacted area immediately following a hurricane or other natural event, satellites are a critical device for our teams to bring service into an area that might otherwise have no service.

When safe to do so, our teams drive vehicles outfitted with satellites into areas hit hardest or set up a portable satellite kit directly on the ground in areas with no power or backhaul. Satellites have the capacity to provide basic services like texting, call and limited data to an area in order to support the community. This is especially important for first responders who rely on connectivity for their recovery and rescue efforts.

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COLTs and COWs Cells on Light Trucks (COLTs) and Cells on Wheels (COWs) are regularly utilized by our EMT as part of our recovery efforts. COLTs and COWs are unique to T-Mobile and specially designed to meet our EMT’s specific needs.

Once there is safe access into an area after a natural event, our teams drive COLTs and COWs to impacted areas. Using satellite, microwave or the existing circuit, if undamaged, at a site while towers undergo necessary repairs, COLTs and COWS bring coverage to a community that would otherwise have a coverage gap.

While both COWs and COLTs contain satellites and generators and have comparable technology capabilities, there are some physical distinctions. COWs look like a trailer and must be attached to a truck’s hitch in order to be transported, while a COLT’s satellite and generator are built directly into a truck. The advantage of a COLT is that our teams are able to drive them into some areas that may be too difficult or dangerous to tow a COW due to poor road or terrain conditions.

Vehicle Fleet We’ve built out a fleet of roughly 20 different types of vehicles to support our EMT’s specific needs. We deploy our fleet when a major natural event occurs to transport our teams and equipment to areas of impact. Our fleet of vehicles consist of COLTs, COWs, RVs, Jeeps and more. Plus, since our merger with Sprint, we have doubled the number of satellite capable vehicles.

Our RV serves as the Emergency Operation Center, outfitted with monitors, self-contained WIFI access, small kitchen, bed, restrooms and workspaces where our teams can monitor network recovery, check emails and conduct meetings while deployed to communities hit by a storm. Our teams also open the RV up to first responders to utilize the WIFI or take a break.

Our fleet also contains several Jeeps, one of which can provide WIFI and cell coverage, plus has a charging station mounted to the front of the vehicle. We utilize this Jeep when we make visits to evacuation shelters, allowing evacuees to use its services.

Community Support Vehicles It’s important to us that impacted communities have the support and connectivity they need during and immediately following a natural event. When communities are in need, we deploy our Community Support Vehicles to evacuation shelters to provide a range of supplies and services, including water bottles, pre-lit devices, charging stations, WIFI and more. Our team also utilizes Retail Support Trucks that are deployed to assist customers in areas where our local stores may be closed due to damage after a storm.

Click <a href="https://www.t-mobile.com/news/community/dealing-with-disaster-season-2020">here</a> to meet our community response team and learn more about how T-Mobile helps customers and communities in the aftermath of natural disasters.

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T-Mobile knows how important maintaining connectivity is for evacuation coordination, rescue efforts, calling a loved one to check in and more. We are committed to doing as much as we can for our customers by ensuring our network is ready and our emergency teams are prepared with the tools, equipment and gear they need to keep our customers connected.

Gearing Up: A Look at T-Mobile&#039;s Emergency Response Equipment | T-Mobile Newsroom

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Gearing Up: A Look at T-Mobile&#8217;s Emergency Response Equipment

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Parents and coaches share stories of how the T-Mobile Little League Call Up Grant Program helps kids in need.

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“As a single parent, I don’t get these opportunities very often for my son, but thanks to this program he was able to have the best summer of his life,” said Joanna Brown, a Little League parent from Ketchikan, Alaska.

For many parents like Joanna Brown, mother of former grant recipient Timothy Brown, Little League is something her family may not have been able to afford without financial assistance. In fact, it’s projected that <a href="https://www.t-mobile.com/news/_admin/?post_type=story&p=57815&preview=true">one in five kids</a> will not be able to play Little League in the upcoming season because of financial strains. For some families, missing out on the benefits of Little League is a sacrifice that proves this can be much more than just a game.

“My son has high-functioning autism, and it’s hard for him to be a part of teams and easily make friends … but he enjoyed being on that field, being up to bat and having friends in the dugout cheering him on,” explains Brown. “The camaraderie of his teammates and coaches was unbelievable, and this program made it all happen.”

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It’s one of the many reasons T-Mobile is doubling its <a href="https://www.t-mobile.com/news/un-carrier/mlb-postseason-2020">previous commitment</a> and donating $10,000 per home run hit during the Major League Baseball Postseason to the <a href="https://www.t-mobilecallupgrant.com/">T-Mobile Little League Call Up Grant Program</a> — a fund dedicated to helping thousands of children across America participate in their local Little League programs by covering registration fees.

“Because of the effects of COVID-19 during the 2020 season, some families were unable to allow their children to play,” laments Reggie Reinhardt, VP of Baseball for Ketchikan Little League. “Because of financial hardship, registration fees became a burden and leagues were unable to get the extra funds from local businesses to help with scholarships for local players.”

After giving more than $1 million to the T-Mobile Little League Call Up Grant Program in 2019, the Un-carrier made it possible for nearly 5,000 children from more than 700 leagues in almost every state across the country the ability to play ball. Coaches from Alaska all the way down to North Carolina say the funds help them give hope to families that might not even try to apply because they assume they simply will not be able to afford this activity for their children.

“About 30% of all kids in our area are in the low to no income area and we end up having to pay the majority if not all of their registration fees,” says Cedrick Collins, President of the NW Little League Charlotte North Carolina District 3. “When I got the information about T-Mobile that was a huge help because we are now able to offer free registration basically to kids who were unable to pay. Some families have three to four kids and if the registration is eighty-five or even one hundred twenty dollars and that number times three or four is a great deal, and it turned them away.”

Through the MLB World Series, everyone — T-Mobile customer or not — can continue to support the cause by simply texting “LittleLeague” to 313131. For every text, T-Mobile will donate $5 — up to an additional $2 million — to support grant recipients in the texters’ local community next season.

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Double Play: T-Mobile Increases Donations for MLB World Series Support for Little League | T-Mobile Newsroom

Double Play: T-Mobile Increases Donations for MLB World Series Support for Little League

Shawna Ryan

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This T-Mobile "Dynamic Duo" Battles Everything from Wildfires to the Pandemic. Here's How.

Among T-Mobile’s crisis-response specialists, this time of year is known as “disaster season” — the stressful weeks at the end of summer and beginning of fall when hurricanes threaten America’s Gulf and Atlantic states, and wildfires typically devastate communities across the American West. And though COVID-19 has changed the way the world operates at a fundamental level, it hasn’t stopped those disasters from coming. In fact, 2020 has turned out to be one of the most demanding disaster seasons in memory, with millions and millions of acres burning in California, Oregon and Washington, while multiple major storms wrecked the entirety of Louisiana … all as the pandemic has completely altered the way disaster relief can be deployed in troubled areas.

In the face of oncoming storms or wildfires, T-Mobile stores must sometimes be closed and alternative retail options must be established. In the aftermath, customers often need emergency connectivity solutions until permanent services and devices are restored. These assistance efforts are led by two T-Mobile superstars: Becky Romero, a senior disaster recovery manager, and Stephanie Kehoe, a senior manager of field operations. Between the two of them, they are the community response team, “small but mighty,” according to Stephanie, covering the preparation, adjustment and deployment — anything non-network-related — of disaster relief from the consumer markets standpoint. They’ve also been adapting to changing pandemic protocols to ensure the safety of their employees and their customers.

“We call each other Batman and Robin,” Becky says.

“One day I’m Batman and she’s Robin,” Stephanie adds. “The next day it’s the other way around. We just work it together.”

When Hurricanes Laura and Sally pummeled Louisiana within a couple weeks of each other from August to September, and wildfires ravaged the entire West Coast, they had (to put it mildly) a hectic month. But, like Becky says, “When we’re dealing with 2020, you gotta find that silver lining wherever you can!”

Stephanie’s key responsibility is managing a nationwide fleet of 15 trucks, 11 dedicated to community response and four mobile store replacements. Becky’s role is to keep the trucks stocked with connectivity supplies that her team hands out to communities for free use for up to 30 days. Both are working remotely right now, leading teams deployed across the U.S. — Stephanie from the greater Philadelphia area and Becky in Texas.

“I’m in Houston,” Becky says, “but my brain is in California, Oregon, Washington, Utah, Colorado, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida.” She adds: “If you’re 30 miles from a fire, you’re not in a bad position, but if you get a knock on the door at 6 AM saying your house is in danger, you grab your children and dogs and run out of the house.”

So you might leave behind your phone, or maybe your charger or tablet. Those are the items — along with mobile hotspots for getting online — that her team provides. Normally that means setting up trucks within impacted communities, usually at local shelters or relief facilities, the moment the area is declared safe, and then staying as long as needed. But, of course, that strategy has had to adjust to rules banning crowds of more than a few people congregating in one place due to coronavirus concerns.

While Stephanie and Becky singlehandedly developed T-Mobile’s disaster relief program from the get go, they have also assembled a cohort of trusted teammates on the ground.

In Lake Charles, Louisiana, which was ravaged by Hurricane Laura, one of the worst storms in state history, their staff has been posted up for weeks and is planning to stay indefinitely. All the while, following socially distant measures due to COVID is top of mind. Rather than letting people come to them, they’ve been minimizing contact and mitigating crowds by distributing items to shelters in individual care packages. They’ve provided the same response in California since wildfires there took off in August.

“We’ve had to challenge ourselves to think, 'How do we still supply the community while minimizing risk?' It was not easy,” Stephanie says. “We came up with the drop-off supply solution. Instead of standing with a table or tent and trucks and going inside shelters to crowds gathered, we put pieces in place to have contactless support. We do prep work to determine needs at each shelter to provide care packages to them. Some people need WiFi; if power is out, they need more charging capabilities.”

The contactless solution has been a great success, she says, both in terms of direct benefit to customers and in keeping the process safe: “We developed processes to ensure trucks are regularly cleaned and employees are getting temperature checked and washing hands and sanitizing assets around them. We’re taking steps to keep everyone safe. We have a number of PPE supplies in the trucks and we take it one shelter and one support activity at a time.”

Along with relief trucks, Stephanie also has four retail replacement trucks at her disposal. When a brick-and-mortar store is damaged or destroyed by a natural disaster, she’ll roll out a retail truck-and-trailer combo into that community to ensure customers have access to the devices and services they need.

“If a store and a truck had a baby, that’s our trailers,” she says. “We can replace a structure with one of our replacement stores within a week.”

The only way she and Becky can accomplish so much work in so little time is by coordinating efforts on both the logistical and practical levels.

“We say it takes a special kind of person to do this job,” Becky says. “You gotta have the passion but you need to understand how to triage. Everyone thinks the world’s coming down but it’s not. Our job is to provide confirmation that we’re gonna get through this. And this is how, this is the process. It takes a person with drive to support but you can’t get frustrated and beat down.”

Says Stephanie, pointing out just how essential it’s been to collaborate with Becky for this disaster season’s relief effort, “It’s not a Stephanie effort, it’s a total team effort. I can’t give trucks to Becky’s group because it just wouldn’t work, she has her own mountains to lift. We’re in lockstep hourly it feels like.”

“I don’t think anyone was prepared for the amount of disaster we’re facing,” she continues. “Everyone supporting the disasters is tired. But the need doesn’t stop, and neither does the work.”

In the face of oncoming storms or wildfires, T-Mobile stores must sometimes be closed and alternative retail options must be established. In the aftermath, customers often need emergency connectivity solutions until permanent services and devices are restored. These assistance efforts are led by two T-Mobile superstars: Becky Romero, a senior disaster recovery manager, and Stephanie Kehoe, a senior manager of field operations.

Dealing with Disaster Season | T-Mobile Newsroom

Dealing with Disaster Season

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T-Mobile’s External Diversity and Inclusion Council members say celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month on a companywide level is the right way to honor Latinx employees — past, present and future.

“Most people know about the Latino population in terms of statistics,” says T-Mobile External Diversity and Inclusion Council member Gilbert Casellas. “There are 58 million of us, with a GDP that’s equivalent to $2.3 trillion, and if we were a separate country we would be the eighth largest country in the world. Fortunately, we’re part of this great country and making it even greater.”

As a way to highlight Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from September 15 to October 15, T-Mobile announced it is honoring its Hispanic employees and customers through community giving, events and dialogues that promote Hispanic voices under the central theme of Orgullosos de Nuestro Pasado. Enfrentando el Presente. Impactando el Futuro. — Proud of our Past. Facing the Present. Impacting the Future.

Impacting the future is the keen focus of the company’s <a href="https://www.t-mobile.com/news/community/meet-the-civil-rights-leaders-joining-t-mobiles-external-diversity-and-inclusion-council">External D&I Council</a>, as their work to advise T-Mobile on its DE&I initiatives now begins.

Casellas, former chairman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), has put that belief into action with his extensive legal and policy experience as a diversity, equity and inclusion advisor to several major corporations, governmental commissions and universities. He says Hispanic Heritage Month is a reminder to everyone the multifaceted role the Latinx population plays in the success of the country.

“Bring your whole selves to work,” urges Casellas. “Let your voices be heard. As our country and its institutions and businesses become increasingly more diverse, I believe we as Latinos will have a greater role in driving that success.”

For its part, T-Mobile has been recognized as a Best Employer for Latinos in the Nation by Latino Leaders Magazine and named 2018 Corporation of the Year by the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Throughout this year’s Hispanic Heritage Month, the company’s over 55 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Chapters across the country gave their members an opportunity to learn and have meaningful conversations with virtual panel discussions, cultural exchanges and guest speakers that explored the topics of culture, history, representation and equity.

Listening to these voices serves as motivation for fellow council member Sindy Benavides, the Chief Executive Officer of <a href="https://lulac.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">LULAC</a>. She says working with T-Mobile’s External D&I Council creates a gold standard for all companies when it comes to engaging their Latinx employees and is a way for her to pay homage to those who came before her.

“Hispanic Heritage Month is a special month to celebrate and honor our ancestors, especially for their mission, their courage, their sacrifice and their love,” says Benavides. “I hope that through the work I do every single day at the League of United Latin America Citizens, the oldest and largest national Latino civil rights organization in the country, that I honor their legacy, their sacrificio , because they gave everything for me.”

Both Casellas and Benavides say they are encouraged as they think about the Hispanic community’s impact at T-Mobile and in the U.S. 

“We have a proud legacy and our future is bright,” says Casellas.

T-Mobile has honored that legacy this Hispanic Heritage Month with donations to organizations that  provide resources for a bright future, including a $10,000 donation to the Latino Community Fund as part of the company’s Community Spotlight program with the Seattle Mariners and by doubling employee donations to <a href="http://www.elcentrodelaraza.org/">El Centro de la Raza</a>, an educational, cultural and social service agency that provides support centering around the Latinx community but not excluding others in need.

“We know that in 2050 we will be 130 million Latinos strong,” says Benavides. “My hope is we as a community understand our power, understand our heritage and understand we come from a united, strong, courageous community with leaders that make up who we are today.”

As a way to highlight Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from September 15 to October 15, T-Mobile announced it is honoring its Hispanic employees and customers through community giving, events and dialogues that promote Hispanic voices under the central theme of Orgullosos de Nuestro Pasado. Enfrentando el Presente. Impactando el Futuro. — Proud of our Past. Facing the Present. Impacting the Future.

&quot;We Have a Proud Legacy and Our Future Is Bright!&quot; | T-Mobile Newsroom

&#8220;We Have a Proud Legacy and Our Future Is Bright!&#8221;

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Elaine Welteroth, former editor-in-chief at Teen Vogue, spoke to T-Mobile employees, offering a simple directive: leave roadmaps to help women follow the trails you’ve blazed.

“There was a whole new blueprint that I was going to be sort of writing for myself as I went along the way, and there were not a lot of role models or blueprints that I could refer to throughout my journey,” Elaine Welteroth reminisced while speaking virtually to some 5,200 employees logged in to T-Mobile’s fourth annual Women’s Summit, which recently took place. “I just remember how important it felt to connect with another black woman leader.”

Welteroth found her way to become the youngest editor-in-chief at a Conde Nast publication when she took the helm of <a href="https://www.teenvogue.com/">Teen Vogue</a> in 2017, as chronicled in her 2019 best-selling memoir More Than Enough: Claiming Space for Who You Are — but she said finding a mentor who looked like her and shared similar experiences in her career journey was one of the biggest challenges she faced. And as someone who identifies with the Shonda Rhimes-coined acronym F.O.D. (First. Only. Different.), she feels a responsibility to ensure the advice of a mentor who has been there before isn’t so elusive for those next in line.

“I thought, ‘We are doing a disservice to the next generation,’” she continued. “The goal is to be the first but not the last. The responsibility that comes with being a F.O.D. is to create more space for other folks who might not have an opportunity had it not been for you being there.” The summit, hosted by the Women & Allies Network, one of six Employee Resource Groups focused on the company’s <a href="https://www.t-mobile.com/news/community/building-a-long-lasting-and-impactful-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-plan">Diversity, Equality and Inclusion initiatives</a>, was held on Women’s Equality day, which this year marked 100 years since the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote — even if that right was not immediately available to all women due to discriminatory local laws. The summit tackled subjects focused on understanding the meaning and importance of allyship, intersectionality and inclusionist thinking. The session with Welteroth also included T-Mobile’s Jon Freier, EVP of Consumer Markets, and was moderated by Women & Allies Network Co-Chair Lauren Hayes, Director of Signature Retail Consumer Markets for the company. “We need to be sharing our stories, our tools, in order to empower each other and feel less alone,” Welteroth said definitively when asked what’s next in the journey towards women’s equality. “I thought if I’m going to be held up as a trailblazer for being first then I have work to do beyond the scope of my job description. I have to make sure the work I’m doing lays the groundwork, paves a trail, but also leaves signposts along the way that make it less daunting, less alienating, less confusing and less disempowering for the next young black woman leader who comes behind me.”   But while Welteroth remarked on the importance of recognizing and leveraging women who identify with her experiences as a black female professional in white corporate America as key, she didn’t discount the power that comes along with inviting others without these shared stories and experiences into the dialogue. Her conversations were once relegated to a privately shared understanding, but Welteroth said the next necessary step towards change involves the uncloaking of these truths for public discussion.

“My coping mechanism throughout my career in media has been to find my tribe, find people who can relate to these experiences of micro-aggression and … what it means to be the only one like you in a room in a corporate environment. We have our off-line chats and we have our group chats … and we support and we hear each other … but I think now there is an opening in the matrix,” said Welteroth. “There is an opportunity for all of us to be a part of these conversations because Black people, women, whatever the marginalized group is, we cannot fix these problems on our own. We need to be working in concert with the majority and the folks in power to actually create the change that we all want to see.”

Armed with a newly created blueprint and ample signage to place along the way, Welteroth made it clear that she is determined to ensure her journey is a key part of that change.

Gold medal gymnast Aly Raisman also presented as one of T-Mobile’s Women’s Summit guest speakers. <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.t-mobile.com/news/community/gold-medalist-aly-raisman-on-courage-and-self-compassion" target="_blank">Watch her discuss</a> managing anxiety, believing in yourself and finding courage within.

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Best-selling author and journalist Elaine Welteroth spoke to T-Mobile employees why being the first Black editor in different, groundbreaking capacities at two Conde Nast publications was a problem, not an accolade.

&quot;Why Forge a New Path if No One Follows?&quot; | T-Mobile Newsroom

&#8220;Why Forge a New Path if No One Follows?&#8221;

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Update – October 12th, 2020

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Our network engineering team continues to make significant progress, and at this point we are pleased to report that there are only a small number of remaining sites impacted in Houston and Mobile. Our teams continue to refuel deployed generators, and we anticipate remaining impacted sites to be restored in the coming days.

Customer &Community Support

Our community relief trucks continue to support customers in Lafayette and Lake Charles today, providing WiFi access, charging facilities and dropping off pre-lit devices in accordance with social distancing measures for COVID-19.

There are a small number of stores in impacted areas that remain closed. As a reminder, if you need to visit us, please reach out to your <a href="https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.t-mobile.com%2Fstore-locator&data=02%7C01%7CAlexandra.Fidler1%40T-Mobile.com%7C50d62f19f3904d739b2008d86ee48f84%7Cbe0f980bdd994b19bd7bbc71a09b026c%7C0%7C0%7C637381275218249693&sdata=FYy5kByw5XyRZYoG%2FYXc%2FBlVPQRFfC%2FE5kEtOCEbUNM%3D&reserved=0">local store</a> to confirm they are open. You can also call 611 or 1-800-937-8997 from your handset if you need assistance or have questions about your account or service and we will be happy to help.

Update – October 11th, 2020

Our network engineering teams continue working hard to restore the network in areas impacted by Hurricane Delta, and overnight significant progress was made. The network in Memphis has been fully restored, and the majority of impacted sites remain in the Houston and Mobile markets at this time. We have a large number of generators deployed, and our teams continue to work quickly to restore those sites as soon as possible.

Customer & Community Support

Community relief trucks will begin supporting our customers in Lafayette and Lake Charles, LA, assisting in locations where there are closed stores. The trucks will be providing WIFI access, charging facilities and dropping off pre-lit devices in a socially distanced manner in line with COVID restrictions.

As a reminder, T-Mobile is waiving overage charges for talk, text and data for T-Mobile, Sprint and Metro by T-Mobile customers in selected areas of Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi who are not already on unlimited plans. From 10/9 through 10/15, we are providing unlimited talk, text and data for customers in the following locations:

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A number of our stores in TX and LA remain closed. If you need to visit us, please reach out to your <a href="https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.t-mobile.com%2Fstore-locator&data=02%7C01%7CAlexandra.Fidler1%40T-Mobile.com%7C0eb352be50184de4702e08d86e1a5b64%7Cbe0f980bdd994b19bd7bbc71a09b026c%7C0%7C0%7C637380406762127663&sdata=ZFTu4kARUCGRIQ86rZW%2FsFBU1leV0Vkwd6ommCr2V%2BY%3D&reserved=0">local store</a> to confirm they are open. You can also call 611 or 1-800-937-8997 from your handset if you need assistance or have questions about your account or service and we will be happy to help.

Update – October 10th, 2020

Hurricane Delta made landfall yesterday evening near Creole, LA, causing damage and power outages throughout the impacted region. Our teams continue to monitor the situation and are working closely with local authorities to gain safe passage into the impacted areas.

At this stage, we’re seeing the majority of impacts to our network in the Mobile, Houston and Memphis markets. Where it is safe to do so, our engineering teams are working hard to deploy generators and create refueling schedules.

The aftermath of large storms is usually a time of high demand for wireless networks as our customers look to stay in touch with loved ones and authorities. We recommend that, where possible, customers send a text instead of making a call. If you need to make a call, we encourage you to try WiFi calling (if you have a working WiFi connection) and keep calls as short as possible.

If you are a Sprint customer on the Sprint network, you can roam on the T-Mobile network if the Sprint network is impacted and T-Mobile is not.

A number of our stores in TX and LA remain closed in the aftermath of the storm. If you need to visit us, please reach out to your <a href="https://www.t-mobile.com/store-locator">local store</a> to confirm they are open. You can also call 611 or 1-800-937-8997 from your handset if you need assistance or have questions about your account or service and we will be happy to help.

Over the coming days, you can stay up to date on our response and recovery efforts via the following channels:

As a reminder, for local updates for Hurricane Delta, check out these sites:

T-Mobile is closely monitoring Hurricane Delta as it makes landfall over the U.S. Gulf Coast. Our rapid-response teams are on standby to assist our customers and help minimize any potential service interruptions. In addition, we are working to ensure our employees, stores and facilities are well prepared for the storm conditions.

A number of our stores in TX and LA are taking safety precautions and may be closed ahead of the storm’s arrival. If you need to visit us, please reach out to your <a href="https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.t-mobile.com%2Fstore-locator&data=02%7C01%7CJanielle.GoGuasch%40T-Mobile.com%7C06182c2793414ec7d15708d86c8df772%7Cbe0f980bdd994b19bd7bbc71a09b026c%7C0%7C0%7C637378704358553281&sdata=%2B%2B8oLUFm7daxNyuyTdyY%2B1QRRPubNCR18gjj9K0VlCY%3D&reserved=0">local store</a> to confirm they are open. You can also call 611 or 1-800-937-8997 from your handset if you need assistance or have questions about your account or service and we will be happy to help.

Help people affected by Hurricane Delta. Text Delta to 90999 to donate $10 to the American Red Cross to help those most affected by Hurricane Laura. Your donation enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from this disaster. This includes providing food, shelter, relief supplies, emotional support and other assistance. Text messaging charges may apply, and the one-time donation will show up on their next T-Mobile bill. For more information, please visit: <a href="https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.t-mobile.com%2Fcustomers%2Ftext-to-give&data=02%7C01%7CJanielle.GoGuasch%40T-Mobile.com%7C06182c2793414ec7d15708d86c8df772%7Cbe0f980bdd994b19bd7bbc71a09b026c%7C0%7C0%7C637378704358553281&sdata=33WR5xSf0sDnygXNyRo4wclwb5LqJ%2FDUcBSUnv01KVY%3D&reserved=0">https://www.t-mobile.com/customers/text-to-give</a>

See T-Mobile.com for plan information, Terms & Conditions, and other policies.

Customer & Community Support T-Mobile is waiving overage charges for talk, text and data for T-Mobile, Sprint and Metro by T-Mobile customers in selected areas of Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi who are not already on unlimited plans. From 10/9 through 10/15, we are providing unlimited talk, text and data for customers in the following locations:

Louisiana Parishes: Acadia, Allen, Avoyelles, Buearegard, Calcasieu, Cameron, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Iberia, Iberville, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, Lafourche, Plaquemines, Pointe Coupee, Rapides, St. Helena, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, Terrebone, Vermillion, Vernon, West Baton Rouge, West Feliciana

Texas Counties: Angelina, Hardin, Jasper, Jefferson, Nacogdoches, Newton, Orange, San Augustine, Shelby, Tyler

Mississippi Counties: Adams, Amite, Franklin, Lincoln, Wilkinson

Network Our local teams are working hard to prepare our networks along Delta’s projected path to minimize any network impacts. We’ve staged a number of temporary solutions for quick deployment where needed in the aftermath of the storm. This includes additional generators, a fleet of temporary network solutions such as Cells on Wheels (COWs), Cells on Light Trucks (COLTs) satellite infrastructure, small cells, Mobile Command Trailers

As the storm approaches and makes landfall, it’s possible that customers in coastal Calcasieu and Cameron Parishes may experience short-term impacts to their coverage. If your mobile service is interrupted or spotty, we recommend customers try the following:

More information on how T-Mobile prepares for storms like Hurricane Delta, is available in the <a href="https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.t-mobile.com%2Fnews%2Fcommunity%2Fpreparing-for-the-2020-hurricane-season&data=02%7C01%7CJanielle.GoGuasch%40T-Mobile.com%7Ce60e0ac9e0fb47d3bbb708d86bdbe334%7Cbe0f980bdd994b19bd7bbc71a09b026c%7C0%7C0%7C637377939447993680&sdata=aBN21q8Yqa8%2FFfbvrYRmaQLSc3B%2FWZLyFnAi3SbjwSY%3D&reserved=0">T-Mobile Newsroom</a>.

For the local updates and preparation tips for Hurricane Delta, check out these site:

As Hurricane Delta moves through the Gulf of Mexico towards the US Gulf Coast, T-Mobile has begun to mobilize our emergency response teams to assist our customers during and after the storm. If necessary, we are prepared to deploy additional personnel and network support equipment to minimize any potential service interruptions and aide any impacted communities.

Part of our preparations may include closing some stores on Thursday, depending on the projected tracks of the storm. If you need to visit one of our locations, please reach out to your <a href="https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.t-mobile.com%2Fstore-locator&data=02%7C01%7CJanielle.GoGuasch%40T-Mobile.com%7C536c4cc895e24f45c8b808d86b004e7a%7Cbe0f980bdd994b19bd7bbc71a09b026c%7C0%7C0%7C637376996341677169&sdata=hxiuVe8d%2B0%2FqdK1lCkmHDiCv4edYOb1LJIqAZb8HJNg%3D&reserved=0">local store</a> to confirm their status.

We know how staying connected is key in times like these. As a reminder, the majority of T-Mobile and Sprint customers are on plans offering unlimited talk, text and data.

If you are in an area that could potentially be impacted, we encourage you to follow any evacuation orders that may be issued by local authorities and hope that you stay safe over the coming days. In the meantime, we recommend customers, particularly along the Gulf Coast, take the following steps to prepare themselves for potential effects of the storm.

More information on how T-Mobile prepares for storms like Hurricane Delta, is available in the <a href="https://www.t-mobile.com/news/community/preparing-for-the-2020-hurricane-season">T-Mobile Newsroom</a>.

*During congestion, customers using >50GB/mo. and Essentials customers may notice lower speeds than other customers due to data prioritization. Metro by T-Mobile customers using >35GB/mo. may notice reduced speeds and Metro customers may notice reduced speeds vs. T-Mobile due to prioritization. 

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As Hurricane Delta moves through the Gulf of Mexico towards the US Gulf Coast, T-Mobile has begun to mobilize our emergency response teams to assist our customers during and after the storm.

T-Mobile Responds to Hurricane Delta | T-Mobile Newsroom

T-Mobile Responds to Hurricane Delta

JayGoGuasch

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The founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative joined T-Mobile for its Talking with Trailblazers guest-speaker series

Recently, some 4,500 T-Mobile employees tuned in for a livestream conversation between EVP of T-Mobile for Business Mike Katz and Bryan Stevenson, the founder and executive director of the <a href="https://eji.org/" data-type="URL" data-id="https://eji.org/">Equal Justice Initiative</a> (EJI), an organization committed to challenging racial economic justice, ending mass incarceration and protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable in our society. He is also notably the author of the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/19/books/review/just-mercy-by-bryan-stevenson.html" data-type="URL" data-id="https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/19/books/review/just-mercy-by-bryan-stevenson.html">New York Times</a> bestselling memoir Just Mercy, which was adapted into a box office hit starring Michael B. Jordan as Stevenson.

The event was a part of T-Mobile’s ongoing <a href="https://www.t-mobile.com/news/community/trailblazer-takeaways-ibram-x-kendi-on-being-an-antiracist">Talking with Trailblazers</a> series and took a deep dive into the societal and justice reforms needed in this country.

“I really wanted to use the law to protect people who might not be protected by our political process, who might not be protected by majoritarian outcomes,” the Harvard Law School graduate said of choosing his legal career. “I ended up coming to the Deep South to represent people on death row because I was deeply troubled by the fact that we have a criminal justice system that treats you better if you're rich and guilty than if you're poor and innocent. I was deeply troubled by the fact that people on death row were literally dying for legal representation because there is no right to counsel for the condemned after the initial trial and appeal. It also brought my interest in racial justice and helping the poor together. That's really how I came to being this."

Here are other key takeaways that Stevenson offered during this trenchant, of the moment Talking with Trailblazers event.

If we want to make a difference in the world, we've got to get “proximate.” “I don’t think we should underestimate the power of getting proximate to people who have been mistreated, abused, knocked down, excluded and disfavored. If nothing else, in proximity we can wrap our arms around folks and we can affirm their humanity and affirm their dignity. For me and the staff at EJI, we are fully committed to that proximity even though when you're proximate to someone on death row and you’re standing next to someone who is going to be executed, that will be challenging for you. But we absolutely are persuaded that our ability to be effective is conditioned on our willingness to get proximate … to get close to the people who are directly impacted. If we're concerned about income inequality, we’ve got to get closer to the poor. We've got to get closer to the excluded. If we care about criminal justice reform, we've got to get closer to the incarcerated and the condemned.”

Hopelessness is the enemy of justice. “I often say this, that hopelessness is the enemy of justice and justice prevails where hopelessness persists. Hope is what will get some of us to stand up when others say sit down and will get some of us to speak when others say be quiet, and it becomes a relationship. I'm both worried about the moment we're in with the pandemic and the impact it's having on people in jails and prisons, the impact it's having on the poor and communities of color. But I'm also very hopeful about this moment because I am seeing an energy, I'm seeing a resolve. I'm seeing companies having conversations they haven't had before. That's very exciting to me.

"But ultimately, my hope really comes by looking back at the generations that come before me. I'm the heir of a generation of people in Montgomery, Alabama that did so much more with so much less. I know I'm standing on their shoulders and they found a way to lift people up like me but with half the capacity and resources that I have in terms of material things. I have hope because if we had the will and the determination to overcome chattel slavery and to overcome lynching and terror and overcome segregation, we have to have the will and resolve to overcome these problems of over-incarceration and police violence.”

You can't really be informed until you know history. “This problem of over-incarceration directly intersects with this legacy and history of racial inequality. That's why right now our work is really focusing on both of these areas, because we understand that we have to confront, we have to do something about this long history of bigotry and bias that has been sustained by silence and our collective indifference. The police throughout their history first were organized in communities and one of the primary tasks was catching people who might be runaway slaves. At the very outset, the police identity was aligned with sustaining and continuing and protecting the institution of slavery. After our reconstruction, it was the police who stepped back and allowed mob violence and lawlessness to terrorize black people for a century. When John Lewis and Dr. King and Amelia Boynton went to the Edmund Pettus Bridge dressed in their Sunday best, it was the uniformed police officers that beat and battered and bloodied them. That identity cannot be disconnected from these issues.”

If you want to help, you have to do your homework. “I think if people try to do racial justice and racial equity work, or even diversity and inclusion work, without doing the education, it's almost like saying, ‘I want to be a nurse without learning anything about anatomy or about medicine or about healthcare.’ You can have a passion to help people who are sick, but until you have the knowledge, you're not going to be effective and you may do more harm than good. That's why I really do see this moment as a moment where we have to prioritize the learning, the education, the kind of conversations that really reposition our own understanding about what has to happen.”

We can't ever advance equity and opportunity if we only do the things that are comfortable and convenient. “I’m not interested in talking about slavery and lynching and segregation because I want to punish America for this history. My interest is liberation. But to get there, we're going to have to be willing to do the uncomfortable truth-telling, to do the uncomfortable reimagining, rethinking — reevaluating systems and structures, to do the uncomfortable conversations that allow us to address these issues like they've never been addressed before.

"I've been working with folks in the NBA and I'm super proud of the players and the coaches that are using their platform to get people to see things and to hear things they wouldn't otherwise see. These coaches are actually opening their press conferences by reading from our calendar and I love it because what they're doing is taking advantage of the space they have to advance in understanding. Don't make it the burden of just people of color to address these issues, because that can be exhausting and overwhelming. But all of us have a role to play. I think when we all commit to that we create a better environment for everybody.”

Justice is a constant struggle. “If we are willing to struggle, if we are willing to fight, if we're willing to get proximate, if we're willing to stay hopeful, if we're willing to do uncomfortable things, we can prevail, we can make progress. But if we are not, we will see these problems that are all around us continue to grow and deepen and manifest themselves in even more tragic waves. I would invite everybody to go to our website<a href="http://eji.org/"> eji.org</a> and become a part of that community of active educators that are sharing this information and knowledge.”

Stay tuned for more takeaways from T-Mobile’s Talking with Trailblazers series.

T-Mobile employees tuned in for a livestream conversation with Bryan Stevenson, founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), an organization committed to challenging racial economic justice, ending mass incarceration and protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable in our society. He is also notably the author of the New York Times bestselling memoir Just Mercy, which was adapted into a box office hit starring Michael B. Jordan as Stevenson.

Trailblazer Takeaways: ‘Just Mercy’ Author Bryan Stevenson on Achieving Equal Justice | T-Mobile Newsroom

Trailblazer Takeaways: ‘Just Mercy’ Author Bryan Stevenson on Achieving Equal Justice

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Be the envy of your next Zoom, Teams or WebEx meeting, and let your Magenta flag fly.

By now, we could all use a change of scene in our work-from-home scenery, and we're here to help — with 11 brand new T-Mobile virtual backgrounds! Whether you want to put yourself on the mound at T-Mobile Park, sky-high above T-Mobile Center or in the comfy confines of a Signature Store, we’ve got a bevy of Magenta backgrounds to choose from. So add an air of adventure and a splash of Magenta to your next <a href="https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/210707503-Virtual-Background#:~:text=While%20in%20a%20Zoom%20meeting,background%20will%20be%20automatically%20applied.">Zoom</a>, <a href="https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/change-your-background-for-a-teams-meeting-f77a2381-443a-499d-825e-509a140f4780">Teams</a>, <a href="https://help.webex.com/en-us/80jduab/Use-a-Virtual-Background-in-the-Cisco-Webex-Meetings-Suite">WebEx</a> or even <a href="https://support.google.com/edu/classroom/thread/39520143?hl=en">Google Classroom</a> call. (And follow the links provided if you need pointers on how add a background for each of those platforms.) Whatever your Un-carrier flight of fancy, we’ve got your back … ground!

SCHEDULE SOME TEAM TIME AT T-MOBILE PARK IN SEATTLE

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