911 service outages reported in parts of 4 states

By Christine Sanchez Texas

PUBLISHED 7:20 AM CT Apr. 18, 2024 PUBLISHED 7:20 AM CDT Apr. 18, 2024

Authorities in South Dakota, Texas, Nebraska and Nevada reported service interruptions to 911 call centers Wednesday evening, according to CNN.

What You Need To Know

A 911 outage affected parts of South Dakota, Texas, Nebraska and Nevada Wednesday night. Service was restored to some areas a few hours later

In Del Rio, Texas, the outage seemed to be with a cellular carrier and not the 911 call center

Chase County, Nebraska, officials reported service was down to 911 call centers across the state for all carriers except T-Mobile

It’s unclear what caused the outages

Outages were announced in multiple cities across the four states. It’s unclear what caused the outages, but service in some areas has been restored as of late Wednesday.

An outage in South Dakota was reported around 9 p.m. CDT Wednesday night and affected the entire state.

Sioux Falls and Rapid City officials announced service was restored in their areas around 11 p.m. on Wednesday. The City of Sioux Falls will hold a press conference at 10 a.m. CDT Thursday to discuss details of the outage.

Those who placed calls to 911 during the outage will receive callbacks from dispatch officers. Because of this, the Rapid City Police Department is urging residents to only call 911 if they have an emergency.

Each 911 attempt is getting a call-back from dispatch. However, the workload generated from unnecessary 911 test calls is hampering their efforts to get appropriate resources where they need to go. PLEASE DON'T CALL 911 UNLESS AN ACTIAL EMERGENCY EXISTS. https://t.co/gFZoVxzyFo
— RapidCityPD (@RapidCityPD) April 18, 2024

In Del Rio, Texas, the outage seemed to be with a "major cellular carrier." The City of Del Rio Police Department said Wednesday night a carrier was experiencing an outage that was affecting customers' ability to reach 911. Emergency services in the city were still operational, according to the department. Those who can't reach 911 through their cell phones can use a landline or a different carrier.

“We are actively monitoring the situation and will provide further updates as they become available. Thank you for your cooperation,” the DRPD said in a post to Facebook.

Chase County, Nebraska, officials reported service was down to 911 call centers across the state for all carriers except T-Mobile. Chase County residents can call 308-882-4748 to reach law enforcement, EMS and the fire department while service is down. Those calling from a landline in Nebraska can still get through to 911, according to the Chase County Sheriff's Office.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department reported the city-wide outage at 8:59 p.m. PDT. Service was later restored at 11 p.m. The department reported that calls from landlines were not going through at the time of the outage.