Hurricane Laura: Information for T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile customers

Update – September 1^st, 2020

Network Update

Our network engineering teams continue to make great progress and our network is close to being fully functional across Louisiana parishes and Texas counties impacted by Hurricane Laura. As of now, just 2% of our sites across the impacted areas are affected by power and/or transport issues. We have a large number of generators deployed and our teams continue to work quickly to restore those sites as soon as possible.

Customer & Community Support

We continue to deploy community relief trucks to support impacted communities. We provided WiFI and delivered charging and device solutions in Nederland, Texas and in Lafayette and Sulfur, La. This evening, our teams will also be making a stop at the Beaumont, Texas shelter located at the Holy Family Retreat Center to drop off supplies, including charging banks and devices.

Store Update

Some of our stores are impacted so if you need to visit us, please check in first with your local store to confirm they are open and hours. As a reminder, you can also call 611 or 1-800-937-8997 from your handset if you need assistance or have questions about your account or service.

Update – August 28^th, 2020

Our network continues to hold up well and field surveys are revealing limited damage to our infrastructure. We are also happy to report that a large number of our stores have reopened with limited hours as safety conditions and access have allowed.

We also remind customers that from 8/27 through 9/1, T-Mobile is waiving overage charges for talk, text and data for T-Mobile, Sprint and Metro by T-Mobile customers in selected areas of Texas and Louisiana who are not already on unlimited plans – details below.

Network Update

Most of our of affected sites are in the Lake Charles to Shreveport area in Louisiana. Engineering teams have been busy deploying additional generators and refueling others throughout the main area of impact across the Texas and Louisiana coast.

Customer & Community Support

Community relief trucks will begin supporting our customers, assisting in locations where there are closed stores. The trucks will be providing WIFI access and charging facilities in a socially distanced manner in line with COVID restrictions.

T-Mobile is waiving overage charges for talk, text and data for T-Mobile, Sprint and Metro by T-Mobile customers in selected areas of Texas and Louisiana who are not already on unlimited plans. From 8/27 through 9/1, we are providing unlimited talk, text and data for customers in the following locations:

• Louisiana Parishes: Acadia, Allen, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Calcasieu, Caldwell, Cameron, Catahoula, Claiborne, De Soto, Evangeline, Franklin, Grant, Iberia, Jackson, Jefferson Davis, La Salle, Lafayette, Lincoln, Natchitoches, Ouachita, Pointe Coupee, Rapides, Red River, Sabine, Saint Landry, Saint Martin, Union, Vermilion, Vernon, West Feliciana, Winn.
• Texas Counties: Jefferson, Orange, Shelby, Tyler.

The majority of our T-Mobile and Sprint customers outside of the above area codes are already on plans offering unlimited talk, text and data.

Store Update

If you need to visit us, please reach out to your local store to confirm they are open. You can also call 611 or 1-800-937-8997 from your handset if you need assistance or have questions about your account or service and we will be happy to help.

See T-Mobile.com for plan information, Terms & Conditions, and other policies.

Update: August 27^th, 2020 – 5pm PT

T-Mobile is waving overage charges for talk, text and data for T-Mobile, Sprint and Metro by T-Mobile customers in selected areas of Texas and Louisiana who are not already on unlimited plans. From 8/27 through 9/1, we are providing unlimited talk, text and data for customers in the following locations:

• Louisiana Parishes: Acadia, Allen, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Calcasieu, Caldwell, Cameron, Catahoula, Claiborne, De Soto, Evangeline, Franklin, Grant, Iberia, Jackson, Jefferson Davis, La Salle, Lafayette, Lincoln, Natchitoches, Ouachita, Pointe Coupee, Rapides, Red River, Sabine, Saint Landry, Saint Martin, Union, Vermilion, Vernon, West Feliciana, Winn.
• Texas Counties: Jefferson, Orange, Shelby, Tyler.

The majority of our T-Mobile and Sprint customers outside of the above area codes are already on plans offering unlimited talk, text and data.

1. For T-Mobile, these are customers on Magenta, T-Mobile One, or Simple Choice plan, while Sprint customers on Sprint’s Unlimited, Unlimited Freedom and certain older plans are also covered. 
2. Metro by T-Mobile customers also have unlimited data on some plans and unlimited talk and text on all plans.

Text to Donate

Help people affected by Hurricane Laura. Text LAURA to 90999 to donate $10 to the American Red Cross to help those most affected by Hurricane Laura. Your donation enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from this disaster. Text messaging charges may apply, and the one-time donation will show up on their next T-Mobile bill. For more information, please visit: https://www.t-mobile.com/customers/text-to-give

See T-Mobile.com for plan information, Terms & Conditions, and other policies.

Update: August 27^th, 2020

Hurricane Laura made landfall in Texas and Louisiana overnight, causing large amounts of damage and widespread power outages throughout the region.

The situation is still very fluid as first responders and utilities assess the damage caused by the storm. Our teams are working closely with authorities to gain safe access to impacted areas and working around the clock to refuel backup generators and deploying additional backup power where needed to make sure our customers stay connected while they recover from the impacts of this storm.

Network Update

The T-Mobile network held up well during the storm, with only a small number of sites affected at the moment, predominantly in the Lake Charles area.

We have a wide range of personnel and equipment to aid our response including additional generators, a fleet of temporary network solutions such as Cells on Wheels (COWs), Cells on Light Trucks (COLTs) satellite infrastructure, small cells, Mobile Command Trailers, WiFi hotspots and a host of other physical and technical capabilities to minimize interruptions for our customers.

In addition to this, our Network Operations Center is also monitoring the performance of our network and adjusting capacity as needed.

The aftermath of large storms is usually a time of high demand for wireless networks as our customers look to stay in touch with loved ones and authorities. We recommend that, where possible, customers send a text instead of making a call. If you need to make a call, we encourage you to try WiFi calling (if you have a working WiFi connection) and keep calls as short as possible.

If you are a Sprint customer on the Sprint network, you can roam on the T-Mobile network if the Sprint network is impacted and T-Mobile is not.

Customer & Community Support

Community teams are in close contact with authorities and local shelter operators to coordinate relief activities and delivery of supplies. Further information on this effort will be added to this page as logistics are confirmed.

Store Update

We’ve had to close some of our stores in the aftermath of the storm. If you need to visit us, please reach out to your local store to confirm they are open. We encourage you to prioritize your safety at this time and call 611 or 1-800-937-8997 from your handset if you need assistance or have questions about your account or service.

More information on our response

Over the coming days, you can stay up to date on our response and recovery efforts via the following channels:

• Check the T-Mobile Newsroom.
• Follow us on Twitter at @TMobile and @Sprint.
• Follow our CEO Mike Sievert and T-Mobile President of Technology Neville Ray on Twitter.

Update: August 26^th, 2020

As Hurricane Laura nears landfall along the Texas and Louisiana coasts Wednesday night and rapidly builds to a Category 4 storm, T-Mobile is doing everything we can to support affected communities during and after the storm.

If you are in an area that could potentially be impacted, we encourage you to please follow any evacuation orders that may be issued by local authorities and do all you can to stay safe.

Network Preparation

Our local teams are working hard to prepare our network in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and other states in the storm's projected path. We have taken a number of measures ahead of the storm's impact including:

• Testing and refueling of generators providing back up power to mobile sites in the expected areas of impact.
• Readying a range of temporary network solutions – including Cells on Wheels (COWs) and Cells on Light Trucks (COLTs) – for quick deployment where needed in the aftermath of the storm.
• Engaged additional field technicians who are prepped and ready to be called on as needed.

Customer & Community Support

Our fleet of Community Relief Trucks are fully stocked with charging equipment and various relief supplies to serve our affected communities when the storm has passed. Community teams are working closely with local shelter operators to ensure supplies arrive where they are most needed.

Staying connected is key in times like these, we’d like to remind our customers that the majority of T-Mobile and Sprint customers are on plans offering unlimited talk, text and data.

• For T-Mobile, these are customers on Magenta, T-Mobile One, or Simple Choice plan, while Sprint customers on Sprint’s Unlimited, Unlimited Freedom and certain older plans are also covered. 
• Los clientes de Metro by T-Mobile también tienen llamadas y textos ilimitados en todos los planes.

If you are a customer and need assistance or have questions about your account or service, please call 611 or 1-800-937-8997 from your handset and we will be happy to help.

Store Update

A number of our stores in TX and LA are taking safety precautions and may be closed ahead of the storm’s arrival and in the coming days. If you need to visit us, please reach out to your local store to confirm they are open.

Over the coming days, you can stay up to date on our response and recovery efforts via the following channels:

• Check the T-Mobile Newsroom.
• Follow us on Twitter at @TMobile and @Sprint.
• Follow T-Mobile President of Technology Neville Ray on Twitter.

Update: August 25^th 2020

As Tropical Storm Marco weakens and Hurricane Laura makes landfall, T-Mobile customer and network teams are staying vigilant and preparing emergency equipment in the Gulf Coast to ensure we are able to quickly mobilize as needed after the storm. We will continue to update this page as new information becomes available.

Aún con las medidas que tomamos para preparar nuestras redes y con nuestra mayor capacidad y habilidad de actuar rápido, existe la posibilidad de que haya cortes de energía y otras interrupciones en los servicios de comunicación.

Si tu servicio móvil se ve interrumpido o no funciona del todo bien tras un huracán, te recomendamos intentar lo siguiente:

• If you have home broadband and power but no mobile service, try Wi-Fi calling, which allows T-Mobile and Sprint customers with capable devices to text and make and receive voice calls via any capable Wi-Fi connection. IMPORTANTE: si tienes que llamar al 911 usando Wi-Fi, no olvides dar tu dirección al operador.
• If you have a connection to the T-Mobile and Sprint networks, keep calls to a minimum and as short as possible. Esto ayuda a reducir la carga en nuestra red para que otros puedan comunicarse.
• If you are a Sprint customer on the Sprint network, you can roam on the T-Mobile network if the Sprint network is impacted and T-Mobile is not.
• Send a text instead of making a call. Los mensajes de texto pasan más fácilmente durante momentos de congestión.

Hay muchas opciones para que los clientes y la comunidad se mantengan al tanto de los trabajos de respuesta y recuperación:

• Check the T-Mobile Newsroom.
• Follow us on Twitter at @TMobile and @Sprint.
• Follow T-Mobile President of Technology Neville Ray on Twitter.

August 23^rd, 2020

As Hurricane Marco and Tropical Storm Laura approach the Gulf Coast, T-Mobile is closely monitoring both storms and evaluating ways to support our customers and employees. If you are in an area that could potentially be impacted, we encourage you to follow any evacuation orders that may be issued by local authorities and hope that you stay safe over the coming days.

Our local teams are working hard to prepare our network ahead of the storms making landfall, to help minimize any service interruptions that may occur. Depending on the projected tracks of the storms, we may also need to take preventative action and close some of our stores. If you need to visit one of our locations, please reach out to your local store to confirm their status.

We know staying connected is important and we remind our customers that the majority of T-Mobile and Sprint customers are on plans offering unlimited talk, text and data. For T-Mobile, these are the Magenta, T-Mobile One, or Simple Choice plans, while Sprint's Unlimited, Unlimited Freedom and certain older plans are also covered. Los clientes de Metro by T-Mobile también tienen llamadas y textos ilimitados en todos los planes.

Suggested preparation tips
We recommend customers take some steps to prepare themselves for potential effects of the storm:

• Make a disaster kit! Include things like batteries, snacks, water, first aid kit, flashlight and device chargers.
• Actualiza los números de contacto de tus familiares, amigos y servicios de emergencia.  Make sure they're saved and backed up AND written down someplace accessible.
• Subscribe to local authorities’ text alerts and connect with local authorities’ social networks to learn about new developments before, during and after a disaster.
• ¡Ten siempre tus dispositivos móviles totalmente cargados!  Ten cables de carga a mano y considera invertir en un dispositivo de carga portátil o para el auto.
• Descarga las apps de asistencia en emergencias de la Cruz Roja y la FEMA.
• Verifica que tu teléfono sea compatible con Alertas Móviles de Emergencia y que tenga las notificaciones activadas.  Visit t-mobile.com/wea for details on how to set up alerts on T-Mobile and Sprint devices.
• Configura las llamadas Wi-Fi en tu teléfono.  For Apple phones, go to Settings > Phone > Wi-Fi Calling; for Android phones, go to Settings > More Connection Settings > Wi-Fi Calling.

For more safety tips and more information on how T-Mobile prepares for storms and hurricanes: https://www.t-mobile.com/news/community/preparing-for-the-2020-hurricane-season

During congestion, the small fraction of T-Mobile customers using >50GB/mo. (and Metro customers using >35GB/mo.) may notice reduced speeds (and Metro customers may notice reduced speeds vs. T-Mobile customers) until next bill cycle due to data prioritization