Verizon Wireless will hold a blessing for a Cell On Wheels mobile cell site at 10:30 a.m. today next to the Painted Church in Kalapana.

The mobile equipment will help emergency crews and visitors stay connected while visiting or working at the isolated ocean entry point for the lava flow from Kilauea volcano. Hundreds of people per day have been visiting the site, which is outside the range of ordinary cell phone service.

Verizon Wireless deploys mobile cell sites to enhance its network when there are natural disasters or major events that boost usage. The company has deployed mobile cell sites and other equipment to more than a dozen emergency incidents around the country over the past year, according to a Verizon Wireless statement,