Thursday, March 28, 2024

911 Outage Impacts Parts of Virginia

The Newport News Police Department is the latest locality to enroll in the Text-to-911 program. (WYDaily/ Courtesy of Unsplash)
A 911 outage is impacting parts of Virginia after a fiber line was cut in North Carolina Thursday morning. (WYDaily/ Courtesy of Unsplash)
REGIONAL — A 911 outage is impacting parts of the Commonwealth due to a fiber cut in North Carolina early morning on Thursday, July 22.
The Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) made the announcement with a Facebook post yesterday morning.
It is estimated that the outage may be impacting approximately 30 local 911 centers in central, southside, and southwestern Virginia.
At the time of the post, it is unknown what other services are being impacted.
Director of Emergency Communications D. Terry Hall said York County was not affected by yesterday’s outage. James City County did not announce any outages for the county, either.
If 911 is ever unavailable in the future, VDEM advises residents to contact their respective locality for emergency service.
According to VDEM’s post, VDEM’s 911 & Geospatial Services Bureau (NGS) members are contacting potentially impacted local 911 centers to assess the situation. They are also assisting localities to determine fallback protocols. If it is not yet known by the locality if they’re experiencing a 911 outage, 911 personnel are being asked to test their lines.
At the time of the post, some local services had been restored, however, an estimated time of complete restoration is unknown.
Below is a list for emergency services around the Historic Triangle:
  • James City County
    • Fire Department: (757)220-0626
    • Police Department: (757)253-1800
  • City of Williamsburg
    • Fire Department: (757)220-6222
    • Police Department: (757)220-2333
  • York County
    • Fire & Life Safety: (757)890-3600
    • York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office: (757)890-3630

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