W2R
Moderator Emeritus
I wonder if the landline problems were because of the extensive flooding that stayed?
The landline problems existed over a larger area than the flooded area, maybe because most/all telephone poles were blown down. Below is a photo that I took about a month after the storm - - not a great photo, but it illustrates the problem. When the poles were blown down, breaks in the lines developed. We saw poles at similar or worse angles for miles and miles and miles of roads through many counties and parishes.
In my neighborhood, the poles were no longer perpendicular to the ground, but not really blown down to the extent shown in the photo below. Flood waters did not exceed 3 feet or so, but lines were just hanging. I guess falling tree limbs and trees broke them. About a dozen large trees on my block were completely blown down and destroyed, blocking the street and damaging roofs, and that was typical for the area - - Frank's block had it worse. The telephone company was present very early after the storm, working hard on restoring phone service.
When we returned to work two months after the storm. the K-Mart parking lot across the street was completely filled with stacks and stacks of brand new, still green phone poles as it was a staging area for them. The phone company had a monumental task and accomplished it admirably.
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