Verizon says it's making progress

HOUSTON - Verizon Wireless says its crews continue to make significant progress restoring service to the hardest-hit areas of the Texas Gulf Coast and Southwest Louisiana.

In the Beaumont and Lake Charles areas, the network "remains heavily impacted," with service largely restored to the city centers and along major highways, Verizon said in a statement.

"More than 85 percent of Verizon Wireless cell sites in the Texas and Louisiana coastal areas have their own back-up generators and extended battery back-up to operate during power outages," the company said.