Nationwide 911 outage reported: What number should I call in Central Florida in case of an emergency?

Stream FOX 35 News

ORLANDO, Fla. - Downdetector reported a nationwide 911 outage late Tuesday. Around 8 p.m., the company noted a sharp increase in outage reports, primarily affecting AT&T customers.

Emergency services across the country reported some disruptions, which AT&T said was due to a software issue.

When did the 911 outage occur?

According to Downdetector, a significant spike in 911 outage reports occurred around 8:18 p.m. This surge indicates a potential widespread issue affecting emergency call services across the United States.

FOX 35 News contacted AT&T after seeing reports of network outages on social media. Shortly before 11 p.m., the issue appeared to be fixed.

"We’ve resolved a software issue that disrupted the ability of a limited number of our customers to connect to our wireless network," an AT&T spokesperson said. "We apologize for the inconvenience, and we appreciate our customers’ patience as we worked to resolve this issue."

The company confirmed that "FirstNet customers were not impacted." FirstNet is a nationwide wireless communications network for public safety professionals and first responders.

FOX 35 also contacted Verizon and T-Mobile, which said their networks operated normally.

What should you do if you need emergency assistance?

In the event of a 911 outage, it is crucial to have alternative methods of contacting emergency services. If you experience an emergency and cannot reach 911, consider using direct numbers to local police, fire departments, or medical services.

Additionally, texting 911 or using social media to alert authorities may be possible, depending on your location. Below are the non-emergency numbers for Central Florida counties.

Alachua County: 352-955-1818

Brevard County: 321-264-5100

Dixie County: 352-498-1220

Flagler County: 386-313-4911

Gilchrist County: 386-935-5418

Lake County: 352-343-2101

Levy County: 352-486-5111

Marion County: 352-732-9111

Orange County: 407-836-4357

Osceola County: 407-348-2222

Polk County: 863-298-6200

Seminole County: 407-665-6650