Verizon offering free domestic calls and device charging at retail stores in hurricane aftermath

Cellular service has been spotty at best in the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Sandy, but Verizon wants you to know that it’s working quickly to bring things back to full speed. The carrier says over 96 percent of its cell sites in impacted areas are operational and routing calls and text messages through as usual. Verizon has also taken the step of deploying what it calls Wireless Emergency Communication Centers (WECCs) that offer charging stations, computer workspaces, and mobile phones with which you can reach out to family and friends. Those have been distributed in Staten Island, New York, Monmouth University, and at two separate locations in Toms River, New Jersey.