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AT&T Foundation Donates $45,000 to the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation During Ft. Lauderdale Network Disaster Recovery Exercise

Posted on: Wednesday, 1 November 2006, 12:00 CST

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla., Nov. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Today, the AT&T Foundation will award a $45,000 grant to the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation (NDSDF) to support canine search and rescue teams that help recover missing people in disaster situations. The ceremony will take place at 3:30 p.m. at the Gulfstream Race Track in Hallandale, Fla. (see below for directions) where the AT&T Network Disaster Recovery (NDR) demonstration is currently underway. The grant will benefit canine teams throughout the country.

"One of AT&T's overarching goals is to provide communications and disaster recovery services that help first responders provide aid to those affected by disasters," said AT&T Sales Center Vice President, Richard W. Quinones. "In light of that goal, AT&T is proud to provide this grant to help the National Search Dog Foundation and its Canine Teams maintain the critical readiness levels that they need to rapidly respond to crisis situations."

Representing the NDSDF are Mike Conners, a firefighter and paramedic from nearby Coral Gables, Fla., and his dog "Hobbes," a male chocolate Labrador retriever. Recently, Conners and "Hobbes" were instrumental in search and rescue efforts when a Miami high-rise collapsed. They are joined by Su Vodrazka, a sheriff with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office, and her female black Labrador retriever, "Hero." Immediately following the grant presentation, the two canine teams will provide a live demonstration of the dogs traversing the specialized equipment they use to train for a variety of disaster scenarios.

The ceremony will take place at the site of AT&T's NDR demonstration of the company's industry-leading mobile, full-readiness response units that allow AT&T to swiftly recover data and switched facilities in the U.S. and AGN nodes in our global network. The NDR demonstrates the network disaster-recovery process, from the initial mobilization of team members to transport of equipment and turn-up and testing of service. AT&T draws on experience and insights gained from these exercises to continuously refine its disaster-response systems and strengthen its business-continuity services.

AT&T's NDR team conducts recovery exercises several times a year around the United States to ensure that communications can be restored quickly to the company's government, business, and consumer clients if a disaster damages or destroys part of its network. They are part of the company's comprehensive array of business-continuity and disaster-recovery capabilities.

For more information, visit the AT&T NDR online press kit at http://www.att.com/presskit/ndr and http://www.att.com/vitalconnections .

Subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. provide products and services under the AT&T brand.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. is one of the world's largest telecommunications holding companies and is the largest in the United States. Operating globally under the AT&T brand, AT&T companies are recognized as the leading worldwide providers of IP-based communications services to business and as leading U.S. providers of high speed DSL Internet, local and long distance voice, and directory publishing and advertising services. AT&T Inc. holds a 60 percent ownership interest in Cingular Wireless, which is the No. 1 U.S. wireless services provider with 58.7 million wireless customers. Additional information about AT&T Inc. and AT&T products and services is available at http://www.att.com/ .

AT&T Inc.

CONTACT: Kimberly Krautter of AT&T Inc., +1-404-810-7049, orkimberly.krautter@att.com

Web site: http://www.att.com/presskit/ndrhttp://www.att.com/vitalconnectionshttp://www.att.com/

Source: PRNewswire-FirstCall

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