MEMPHIS, Tenn., Jan. 6 /PRNewswire/ — With potential severe weather, including ice and snowy conditions expected in West Tennessee, Verizon Wireless is encouraging drivers to remember emergency preparation and wireless safety. Drivers should use hands-free devices or stay off cell phones while driving, particularly in rainy, snowy or icy weather when roads can be slick and dangerous.

In addition to supporting legislation that requires people who talk while driving to use hands-free devices, Verizon Wireless has also supported bans on texting while driving. In fact, in October, the company launched an awareness campaign, “Don’t Text and Drive” to further its long-standing wireless safety message and encourage safe driving habits.

“Cell phones can be a big help in weather emergencies,” said Steve Smith, region president for Verizon Wireless. “If you don’t have a hands-free device, avoid making calls until you have stopped at a safe location.”

Emergency Preparedness Tips

Verizon Wireless, which operates the nation’s largest and most reliable 3G network, offers West Tennessee residents these emergency preparedness tips for consideration during severe weather and other emergencies:

• Keep wireless phone batteries fully charged, in case local power is lost.
• Have additional charged batteries and car-charger adapters available for back-up power.
• Keep phones, batteries, chargers and other equipment in a dry, accessible location.
• Program phone numbers of family, friends, co-workers and emergency contacts in your phone.
• Distribute wireless phone numbers to family members and friends.
• Forward your home phone calls to your wireless number if you will be away from home.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s most reliable and largest wireless voice and 3G data network, serving 89 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 85,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

SOURCE Verizon Wireless

Do you remember Katrina? Ya know that time when our country got caught with their pants down? I remember thinking  “the lawsuits from this are going to go on for years”.   The New York Times has given a glimpse of that this weekend. Posted just this past few days was this:

The LaCoste trial is set to begin on Monday. “This could be a new theory of liability against health care institutions — lack of emergency preparedness,” said Kristin McMahon, an attorney and chief claims officer for IronHealth, a company that insures hospitals. “The courts across the country will be looking at it.”

The case has already been precedent-setting in Louisiana. The state’s Supreme Court decided the allegations were based on general negligence claims, as opposed to medical malpractice in which damages would be capped at $500,000. This markedly increased hospital owners’ potential liability.

Mrs. LaCoste’s family alleges that the hospital was negligent for having inadequate emergency power systems, evacuation plans and floodwater protection. They say a fuel pump that failed after it was flooded caused the higher generator to shut down — an event they say could have been avoided if the hospital had invested less than $10,000 in a submersible pump.

The hospital’s owners argue in court filings that Hurricane Katrina was an “act of God” that could not be foreseen, that the hospital was not negligent, and that it would be unreasonable to expect a hospital to be impervious to all of the unlikely catastrophes its emergency plans contemplate, including tornadoes and a “terrorist event.”

The hospital in question had two power generators – one on the main level and one on the roof of the power plant.  The ground level generator failed when the flood came, and the rooftop generator failed when a fuel pump was submurged and failed.

So what could they have done to have been prepared for this situation?