GRAND FORKS, N.D.-Several companies are pitching in products and services to help the city of Grand Forks, N.D., recover from record flooding last month.
Employees of U S West Communications went door-to-door to determine the extent of damage to the local landline network. When the flood was at its worst, approximately 14,000 customers were without phone service. That number has been reduced to about 5,230, the company said, and phone service should be totally restored by the end of the month.
The company said it will provide temporary solutions in some cases while it works on permanently restoring the system. Lauren Stottler, North Dakota vice president for U S West Communications, said fixing the system will mean improving it.
Meanwhile, help from wireless carriers is pouring into the area.
Motorola Inc. dispatched two trailers housing communications systems to the city. Each unit contains 800 MHz, five-channel StartSite Trunked systems, said the company. The systems each support up to 500 two-way radio users and provide for multiple talk groups.
Motorola also has donated 60 cellular telephones for use with AirTouch Cellular’s network.
U S West Direct will reprint 15,000 copies of the Grand Forks-East Grand Forks telephone directory to replace the phone books destroyed in the flood. The company also said it will delay publishing its 1997-1998 directory for the area to allow residents and businesses time to provide new information.
AirTouch Cellular loaned more than 325 cellular phones and free airtime to emergency areas, and the company has added 50 voice channels to cope with increased demands on its network.
