Millions of Americans recently reported losing access to vital 911 emergency services, resulting in delays in reaching authorities during critical situations.
The outage, which occurred overnight last Wednesday, impacted users in parts of Nebraska, Texas, and Nevada, as well as all of South Dakota, lasting approximately two hours.
Major Outage Left 911 Services in 4 States Unreachable for Hours
In South Dakota, authorities announced the statewide outage at 9 pm local time, advising residents of Rapid City and Pennington County to utilize alternative hotlines for dispatch and first responder communication.
However, by 11 pm local time, the South Dakota Highway Patrol confirmed the restoration of services. "Our emergency system is fully operational and ready to respond promptly to any situation. Your safety is our top priority," the highway patrol tweeted.
Las Vegas, Nevada, also experienced disruptions, with dispatchers noting malfunctioning phone lines despite incoming calls being registered, authorities said on X. Officials in Las Vegas reported that they manually returned every missed call during the outage, ensuring no communications were overlooked.
Firefighters are seen after an intervention at night in the Manhattan borough of New York on February 4, 2024.
What Caused the 911 Outage Affecting Users from 4 States?
The cause of the outage varied across affected regions. In Texas, the City of Del Rio Police Department attributed the issue to a "major cellular carrier outage," specifically mentioning T-Mobile.
"If you cannot reach 911 via your mobile, please use a landline or another carrier. We are actively monitoring the situation and will provide further updates as they become available," the department announced on Facebook.
Juan Hernandez, the department's communications supervisor, clarified that the problem lay with T-Mobile's coverage rather than an internal 911 system failure (via NBC News).
Similarly, Nebraska's Chase County Sheriff's Office disclosed that 911 services were unavailable statewide, except for T-Mobile users, with landlines maintaining connectivity. The outage in Douglas County, Nebraska, was linked to a fiber cut, according to Lumen, a global communications services provider.
The AT&T, while confirming its network's normal operation, acknowledged an issue with another carrier's network potentially affecting 911 calls. The company reiterated that the disruption was unrelated to FirstNet, the nationwide broadband network for public safety, overseen by the First Responder Network Authority.
This outage echoes a recent incident less than two months ago, where AT&T experienced widespread disruptions across multiple states, impacting some 911 calls for hours. The carrier attributed the earlier incident to a procedural error.
The authorities continue to investigate the recent outage to prevent future disruptions and ensure the reliability of emergency communication systems. The residents are encouraged to remain vigilant and familiarize themselves with alternative emergency contacts during such events.
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