Cox offers tips for National Preparedness Month

Press release from Cox Communications

PENSACOLA, Fla. – Here along the Gulf Coast, we’re all looking forward to cooler temperatures with the arrival of fall. However, that doesn’t mean we can let our guard down when it comes to natural disasters. As we head into the latter months of hurricane season, disaster can strike at any time. Tornadoes, floods, severe thunderstorms, hurricanes, and ice storms – we’ve seen it all here. That’s why you and your family should always be prepared for any disaster to strike. And with September as National Preparedness Month, there’s no better time than the present to prepare for severe weather and other natural disasters.

Here are a few ways you can prepare now for an unexpected event later:

• Put together a disaster preparedness kit with a three-day supply of clothes, water, and food. Don’t forget prescriptions and supplies for babies and the elderly.  
• Protect your property by removing dead/dying vegetation regularly.  
• If you have landline phone service, make sure you have a corded, working landline phone and backup battery. 
• Download important apps for utility and communications providers before disaster strikes – with the Cox app, you can check on outages, stay up to date with text alerts, and manage your account. Additionally, the Cox Contour app allows Cox TV customers to access the latest news and weather and stream shows and movies to their smartphones and tablets in the event they’re home-bound with the kids for a few days.
• Make sure you update your preferred contact information with your utility and communications provider before disaster strikes so you can receive emergency and outage alerts.
• Learn how your home security and automation services function during an emergency – if your internet connection is not available during an emergency, a cellular backup will be used to ensure your Cox Homelife system continues to communicate alarms and maintain other limited functions.

As a business owner, preparing for disaster is also a priority: 

• Make sure your Business Continuity Plan is up to date.
• Secure your important documents and company paperwork by backing up files. Cox Business provides Disaster Recovery as a Service, which can protect your data against power failures and natural disasters.
• Familiarize yourself with the tools necessary for staying connected to your customers in the event of disaster or potential disruptions, such as call forwarding service and Net Assurance

As a leader in customer satisfaction regardless of the weather, Cox makes it a top priority to keep customers connected during an emergency so they can stay informed, check in with family and friends, and even access their Cox video, phone, and internet services while taking temporary shelter away from home in the event of an evacuation. We know how important your communications services are during an emergency, as they are a primary tool for receiving information regarding the event and securing your property.  

While our fingers are crossed that the Gulf Coast will finish the year with no natural disasters, rest assured that Cox is constantly preparing to ensure our equipment, network facilities, and work centers are prepared for possible storm events. And by taking a few minutes now to plan while the skies and seas are calm, you will be, too.  

Visit cox.com for more disaster preparedness tips and support.