Cut Fiber Optic Cable Leaves 911 Landline Callers Without Service
A cut fiber optic cable created difficulties for both Fayette and Lee counties Tuesday, disrupting 911 dispatching capabilities for both jurisdictions.
Bastrop County’s Communication Center managed emergency calls for all three counties for approximately three hours until the cable was repaired.
“Most of our county could not make an emergency call to our 911 center on a landline, and Lee County’s entire phone system was down. It’s time like these that our regional notification system is so important – it may be the only way to let our residents know that there is a problem,” said Craig Moreau, Chief of Emergency Management for Fayette County.
“The only way citizens could get through to Dispatch was by using a cell phone. We sent a message out using our Warn Central Texas system, but with landlines being down, if residents hadn’t opted in with a cell phone number or email, they may not have received the message,” he said.
Warn Central Texas is the website citizens can use to register to receive emergency messaging from local officials; they can sign up to get calls through landlines, cell phones, texts or email.
“Fayette County is blessed with a great team of emergency responders who all do what they do because they have a heart for helping people. You are encouraged to help them help you by registering for Warn Central Texas. By registering, you provide the communications tool emergency responders can use to better keep you informed of emergency events and potentially life threatening situations,” said Dawn Moore, Fayette County 911 coordinator.
“If we can’t reach you, it’s difficult to help you. Registering through Warn Central Texas allows people to personalize how they want to receive a message – what’s the best way for information to reach them. And they can include both a work and home address so if they work in Austin but live in Fayette County emergency messages will reach them at both locations,” Moreau said.
Anyone wanting to register for an account through Warn Central Texas can go to www. warncentraltexas.org and click the red Get Alerts button to sign up for emergency messages.