Comcast and Charter Communications said they're collectively opening more than 12,000 Wi-Fi hotspots to non-subscribers across Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina ahead of Hurricane Florence.
Comcast will open about 7,000 hotspots in Savannah and Augusta, Georgia, as well as Charleston, South Carolina.
Charter said it will open 5,100 hotspots in North Carolina and South Carolina.
Comcast has a map of Xfinity WiFi hotspots at www.Xfinity.com/wifi. The cable company said it’s girding its facilities for the pending disaster, bringing in extra generators and fuel trucks, in addition to more technical support staff.
Charter's map can be found at https://www.spectrum.com/wifi-hotspots.
“It’s critical that impacted residents are able to communicate during challenging weather events such as Hurricane Florence,” said Doug Guthrie, regional senior VP for Comcast, in a statement.
With Hurricane Florence baring down on the Southeast, the governors of North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Georgia have declared a state of emergency.
However, the storm’s wind speeds declined markedly early Thursday morning, and the hurricane has been downgraded to Category 2. It had grown in size, though, and the National Weather Service warned "this will likely be the storm of a lifetime for portions of the Carolina coast."
