Telecommunications Hub Recovers Following Setbacks in the Initial Days of The
Attack on America
NEW YORK, Sept. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- TELEHOUSE America is once again
operating on Con Edison commercial power to its BROADWAY Center in lower
Manhattan. The well-known telecommunications hub at 25 Broadway lost
commercial power soon after the World Trade Center twin towers collapsed and
immediately switched to generator power. The days following the tragedy were
full of uncertainty as TELEHOUSE struggled against the chaos caused by the
terrorist attack.
"Our generators had a three day supply of fuel at the time Con Edison lost
power in our area," said John Shields, Vice President of Operations and Chief
Engineer. "When it was near time to refuel, the delivery truck was not
allowed into the city due to security-related restrictions." Thanks to the
support and cooperation of the Port Authority of NY & NJ, TELEHOUSE was given
a police escort through the Holland Tunnel for the critical fuel delivery.
"Soon after refueling, however, our generator malfunctioned, apparently due to
the heavy smoke and dust particles resulting from the collapses," Shields
continued. "Con Edison supplied a replacement generator while ours was
repaired, but once again we ran into difficulty gaining access for the fuel
delivery and lost power for a short time." Since that setback, TELEHOUSE was
able to run the facility on its own generator's power, providing continuous
operation to the center and its customer's networks and equipment.
"I have to praise Con Edison throughout this process," stated Bill Irons,
Deputy Director of Engineering. "They were extremely responsive when they
realized that we represented an integral Internet hub, accounting for nearly
70 percent of Internet traffic between the US and Europe. Without their quick
action and continued assistance, customer upon customer would have been
severely impacted during a time when email and instant messaging services were
the most efficient form of communication."
With Con Edison power restored, TELEHOUSE can now begin to recover from
the devastation caused on September 11th. Many of the personnel who were
working around the clock, some for as much as three days straight, can finally
reflect on the events of the past two weeks, while trying to regain some sense
of normalcy in their lives. "We tried to be supportive (to our staff) any way
we could," stated Anne Cecio, Director of Human Resources. "During the worst
of it, there was no way to give them the professional consolation they might
have needed and we're addressing that now. Witnessing the horror and then
continuing to work so closely to it, has impacted some of them."
Not to be forgotten is the great importance of TELEHOUSE America's clients
and their continued confidence in both TELEHOUSE and the BROADWAY Center.
When asked his thoughts on this, Shields reflected, "Throughout the attack and
the difficult days that followed, the outpouring of compassion and support
from our clients held TELEHOUSE together. They greatly appreciated our
regular updates and our ability to maintain staff on location in a very
precarious situation. Their words of encouragement and praise for our actions
are a positive indication that they were confident we were doing our best to
keep downtime to a minimum."
TELEHOUSE America originated high-availability data center housing in 1989
with facilities in Staten Island and Manhattan. Their carrier-neutral
co-location facilities, where companies can leverage their telecommunications
and network resources in a managed environment, now include the LOS ANGELES
and SANTA CLARA Centers. Close ties to its sister company with sites in
London, Paris, Germany and Geneva, enables TELEHOUSE America to provide
continuous, cost-effective operation of network-dependent businesses around
the world.
TELEHOUSE(R) is a registered trademark of TELEHOUSE International
Corporation of America
Contact Info:
John Neilan Gisele Davis
718-355-2572 718-355-257
neilan@telehouse.com davis@telehouse.com
SOURCE TELEHOUSE International Corporation of America
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Related links:
http://www.telehouse.com
CONTACT:
John Neilan, +1-718-355-2572, or
neilan@telehouse.com, or Gisele Davis, +1-718-355-257, or
davis@telehouse.com, both of TELEHOUSE International Corporation
of America
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