By Erin Smith
Some Verizon Wireless customers are reporting an inability to call 911 in the southeastern region of North Carolina. The company said on Tuesday morning it is working to repair an outage that is affecting Verizon customers in Bladen and Columbus counties.
The NC Department of Information Technology issued a statement at 12 noon Tuesday:
“The North Carolina 911 Board staff is reporting 911 outages across the eastern part of the state. The board staff is working with service providers to ensure service is restored as quickly as possible. Some residents may experience issues with the delivery of 911 calls. Anyone who has difficulty reaching their 911 center should follow local directions regarding alternate numbers to call in an emergency. There are 115 911 centers across the state managed and operated by county or municipal authorities.”
Bladen County Emergency Management Director Bradley Kinlaw said, “Normally these outages only last for a short period of time.”
If you reside in Bladen County and need to call 911, dial 910-862-8141.
If you reside in Columbus County and need to call 911, dial 910-640-1428.
Other counties that have been impacted by the outage include:
*Harnett County Sheriffs Communications
*Hoke County Emergency Communications
*Moore County Public Safety
*Jacksonville Fire-Police
*Onslow County E9-1-1 Communications
*Camp LeJeune 9-1-1 Center
*Sampson County 9-1-1 Center
*Holly Springs Police Department
*Duplin County Communications
*Fayetteville City Communications
*Integrated Incident Management Center-Ft Bragg
*Cumberland County Emergency Services
*Sanford Police-Fire-EMS Communications
Verizon Wireless was fined by the Federal Communications Commission in March 2015 for a six-hour outage of the 911 service. The company was ordered to pay $3.4 million in fines in that incident.
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