Nationwide Emergency Response Disruption
Tuesday night witnessed a significant 911 outage affecting several American cities, including those in Ohio, Texas, Florida, and Georgia.
According to DownDetector, an outage tracker, nearly 400 reports of 911 service disruptions were logged at 9:41 p.m. ET. The exact origin and severity of the outage remain unclear at this time.
The issue was first noted at 8:18 p.m. ET, when DownDetector received over 20 reports of 911 service disruptions. Complaints included busy lines, dropped calls, and no response from the emergency services line.
Despite the widespread nature of the outage, emergency service providers have yet to release an official statement regarding the incident.
AT&T’s Response
Following numerous social media complaints about network failures, AT&T issued a statement to FOX TV Stations. The telecommunications giant acknowledged the issue, stating they are “working to address a software issue that may affect the ability of a limited number of our customers to connect to our wireless network.”
“Keeping our customers connected is our highest priority, so we appreciate their patience as we work to resolve this issue,” AT&T added. They also confirmed that “FirstNet customers are not impacted.”
In light of the 911 interruption, it is crucial to have alternative methods for reaching emergency services. Individuals are advised to call local police, fire, or ambulance departments directly if 911 is unreachable. Additionally, one can text 911 or alert authorities via social media platforms.
While the outage has caused significant concern, efforts are underway to resolve the issue and restore full service. The incident underscores the importance of having contingency plans for emergency communications to ensure public safety.