KANSAS CITY, Mo. — How long do you think you could you go without your cell phone? This week’s severe storms remind us tornadoes can wipe out anything — including cell service.
Verizon Wireless said if disaster strikes, it’s ready. That’s because all of its emergency restoration equipment sits 60 feet below the ground in a secret cave. FOX 4 is giving you a look inside.
Inside the secret cave you’ll find millions of dollars of equipment including portable generators, cell towers and cell sites on wheels.
Verizon Wireless said that means if a tower is destroyed, fiber line is cut or the power goes out during severe weather it can be in the disaster zone and restore cell service within hours.
“Cell phones are not just a comfort, they’re a necessity,” said Brenda Hill with Verizon. She said in an emergency cell service is a lifeline not just for citizens, but for law enforcement and emergency responders. “People use them in their every day lives, but particularly when something happens you’re going to want to get in touch with others and that’s really why the reliability is so important.”
Tony LaRose is in charge of operations. He said it was after the Joplin tornado that the company decided to move all of its emergency equipment underground.
“We really got concerned after the Joplin tornado went through about all this equipment just being out in a parking lot,” he said. “We started looking around thinking how can we make that equipment more secure? This cave location was a perfect solution.”
Underground the equipment is protected from the elements. The cave is also climate controlled.
The location of the cave is a secret. It is Verizon’s only network cave facility in the United States.
