ATLANTA, Aug. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- As Hurricane Katrina prepares to make landfall on the U.S. Gulf Coast, residents and businesses are encouraged to keep a copy of The Real Yellow Pages close by for critical information on hurricane preparedness, survival and aftermath resources.

Located in the Community Information Pages and Community Guide sections of each directory, The Real Yellow Pages brings together critical information for planning, surviving and recovering from severe weather and hurricanes.

"The Community Information Pages and Community Guides in The Real Yellow Pages have long been a vital resource for many in the coastal areas. The Hurricane Preparedness and Severe Weather Guide is likely one of the most important pieces of this section because it is packed with information that can help people safely survive hurricanes," said Ken Ray, Vice President of Marketing for BellSouth Advertising and Publishing. "We are confident this is the one guide to keep handy to effectively prepare and survive severe weather."

Included in the planner is: * A guide to developing a disaster plan * A severe weather checklist * Where to get information on severity of storms * Information about the American Red Cross and FEMA support

For severe weather survival, important tips on what to do indoors, outdoors, in your automobile, at work, school or home are also detailed.

"Because consumers have made The Real Yellow Pages the leading directory in the Southeast, we take responsibility in providing important community information in our directories, as well as thousands of business listings. We hope all residents and businesses will keep their directory and the Severe Weather Planner close by as we get into the heart of the hurricane season," said Ray.

Featured during Hurricane Dennis, the guide also points out post severe weather tips including filing insurance claims and a helpful repair checklist. Ray said surviving severe weather does not necessarily end when the threat has passed, so post storm information is also important.

In addition to the print directory, the Severe Weather Planner, as well the entire edition of The Real Yellow Pages can be found online at http://www.realpageslive.com/.

About BellSouth Advertising and Publishing

BellSouth Advertising & Publishing Corporation (BAPCO) is the leading provider of print and Internet Yellow Pages products in the southeast. BAPCO publishes 66 million copies of the print Yellow Pages in more than 500 editions in the nine-state BellSouth region. Users referred to The Real Yellow Pages(R) from BellSouth nearly 2 billion times last year and made nearly 200 million searches on RealPages.com (http://www.realpages.com/) in 2004. The Real Yellow Pages is a powerful information resource, linking buyers and sellers, with approximately 85 percent of consumers who reference the directories' most frequently used headings making a purchase based on their findings.

About BellSouth Corporation

BellSouth Corporation is a Fortune 100 communications company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. BellSouth has joint control and 40 percent ownership of Cingular Wireless, the nation's largest wireless voice and data provider with 51.6 million customers.

Backed by award winning customer service, BellSouth offers the most comprehensive and innovative package of voice and data services available in the market. Through BellSouth Answers(R), residential and small business customers can bundle their local and long distance service with dial-up and high-speed DSL Internet access, satellite television and Cingular(R) Wireless service. For businesses, BellSouth provides secure, reliable local and long distance voice and data networking solutions. BellSouth also offers online and directory advertising through BellSouth(R) RealPages.com(R) and The Real Yellow Pages(R).

BellSouth believes that diversity and fostering an inclusive environment are critical in maintaining a competitive advantage in today's global marketplace. More information about BellSouth can be found at http://www.bellsouth.com/.

CONTACT: Ed Patterson of BellSouth Corporation, mobile, +1-404-213-2103,
Ed.Patterson@BellSouth.com

Web site: http://www.bellsouth.com/

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