Hurricane People: Cellular phones should work- article/link

GULFPORT - Most mobile phones should stay humming during Hurricane Dennis, several cellular phone company representatives said Saturday.

Even if power goes out, phone company representatives said, most cellular phone towers are backed up by generators.

"Unless the towers are blown away, service should be working," said Deonna Owen, manager of the T-Mobile store in Edgewater Village. "During Ivan, we had tower technicians come in from all over the country. We even have our own gas trucks."

Some companies, such as Cellular South, have temporary cellular-signal transmitter towers on wheels, should they be needed. "We understand that wireless phones are a vital means of communication during emergencies," said Richard Reynolds, South Mississippi's area manager for Cellular South. "We have confidence in our network. We even loaned phones to several emergency agencies."

Almost every cellular phone company in the area said it had been making preparations similar to those of T-Mobile and Cellular South.