Widespread 911 Failures in Four States Leave Countless Residents Unable to Reach Local Authorities
Law enforcement agencies in four states faced chaos as 911 outages left millions unable to reach authorities late Wednesday. The outages, reported in Nebraska, Nevada, South Dakota, and Texas, were largely resolved by the evening. While the cause remains undisclosed, concerns were raised following a Department of Homeland Security warning about heightened cyberattack risks on 911 services. Authorities have not linked the outages to malicious acts, emphasizing ongoing investigations. Recent incidents like the AT&T outage highlight the vulnerability of emergency services. South Dakota experienced a statewide outage, prompting alternative contact numbers from the Rapid City police. They restored service within two hours, with texting to 911 available in many areas. In Nevada, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police faced a similar outage, urging mobile device calls as landlines failed. By midnight, service was fully restored, with all missed calls addressed. Wireless carriers were cited as a potential source of the issue, underlining the critical need for reliable emergency communication systems.