VIRGINIA
Local leaders call for investigation into 911 system failure
After Friday night's storm, many 911 centers had trouble accepting emergency calls, especially from cell phone users.
Now, some local officials want an investigation into what happened and how it can be prevented for future weather events.
Friday's derecho knocked out power to a Verizon facility in Arlington, Va., that resulted in 911 calls not working in Arlington, Fairfax and Prince William counties and the city of Manassas - an area with a population of more than 1.7 million.
The Prince William Board of County Supervisors wants Verizon to find out what specifically caused the system failure.
"While we appreciate the efforts Verizon made to get the system back up and running, all efforts should be made to ensure that the critical 911 system does not fail in the future," said Corey A. Stewart, Chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors.
This is not the first time the 911 system has failed during a storm.
Last year, Maryland residents loss cellular service during a snow storm that hit during rush hour.
No jurisdictions reported any deaths that resulted from the 911 outage or serious medical problems that were exacerbated.
Would you like to contribute to this story? Join the discussion.
RecommendedRecent Facebook Activity
Only On 7
-
Leon Harris and Alison Starling weeknights on ABC7
For all the breaking stories happening in your neighborhood and developing stories happening around the world, join Leon Harris and Alison Starling weeknights on ABC7 News at 5 and 11.
TBD Blogs What you need to read
-
@TBD Arts
Tonight: Independence Day mini-weekend
-
@TBD On Foot
A close reading of a D.C. commute
Best of TBD In case you missed it
-
Food truck frenzy
Billed as the biggest food truck assembly to ever happen in D.C., "Curbside Cookoff: Trucko De Mayo" took place on Saturday with at least 40 vendors.
Photo Galleries Pictures from around the region
-
PHOTOS: Capital Pride parade, festival
-
Maine Avenue Fish Market: Fresh fish for sale under a D.C. bridge
-
National Puppy Day photos: Celebrating the sweetness of dogs








5 Comments
Post a Comment