AUBURN - Windstream announced Sunday it had restored 911 service in Nebraska counties impacted by  Saturday’s outage.

The outage is blamed on a fire at a data center in Lincoln, which required use of battery backups.

A Windstream post says four counties were impacted, but the Nebraska Public Service Commission posted that 911 emergency services in 18 counties were impacted. Windstream says Windstream services in Adams, Gage, Otoe and Saunders counties were down.

911 services were also out in several counties on Sept. 1. The Nebraska Public Service Commission says a fiber optic cable was cut by a third-party contractor doing work in Omaha.

The Southeast 911 Committee says Windstream informed 911 centers about the outage at 6:30 p.m. Saturday. Service was restored by mid-morning Sunday.

In a press release, the Southeast 911 Committtee says it has partnered with Windstream since its inception and will work with the Public Service Commission and Windstream to prevent future outages.

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Update: Press release from Nebraska Public Service Commission.

LINCOLN -  The Nebraska Public Service Commission has been notified by Windstream that 911 service disrupted by an incident at a Windstream Data Center in Lincoln has been restored.

 The outage affected some 911 centers in Southeast Nebraska who through their local/regional
network have contracted with Windstream to provide service.


“The Commission works closely with the local 911 centers,” said Director David Sankey, State
911 Department. “Any investigation will look into what led to this disruption in 911 service and
will focus on available backup systems and identifying solutions moving forward to mitigate
future issues.”

Saturday night (9/2), the Commission indicated 911 centers in a number of counties in Southeast
Nebraska may have been impacted by the disruption in service.

Information provided by Windstream indicates that around 6:30 p.m. Saturday, they made
notification of a disruption in service due to a fire at their Lincoln facility. According to
Windstream 911 service in four counties, Adams, Gage, Otoe, and Saunders County was down.
Other counties in the Southeast region may have experienced some disruptions in service due to
the incident. Windstream technicians worked through the night and restored service to those
impacted early Sunday morning.

Questions regarding the outage should be directed to Windstream at 501-580-4759

 

Update -  Windstream announced Sunday it had restored 911 service in Nebraska counties impacted by  Saturday’s outage.

A Windstream post says four counties were impacted, but the Nebraska Public Service Commission posted that 911 emergency services in Adams, Butler, Cass, Clay, Fillmore, Gage, Jefferson, Johnson, Lancaster, Nuckolls, Otoe, Pawnee, Richardson, Saline, Saunders, Seward, Thayer, and York counties may be impacted.

 

AUBURN - 911 centers in River Country are reporting outages for telephone lines after a transformer fire at a Windstream data center in Lincoln.

According to the Nebraska Public Service Commission, 911 emergency services in Adams, Butler, Cass, Clay, Fillmore, Gage, Jefferson, Johnson, Lancaster, Nuckolls, Otoe, Pawnee, Richardson, Saline, Saunders, Seward, Thayer, and York counties may be impacted.

911 in Nemaha County and the entire Windstream service area is down.

Emergency services in Nemaha Call 402-274-3139 or 402-414-2035.

It appears that texting 911 may work, though it is not as quick as calling the 10-digit numbers.

Cass County Emergency Management posted a message from Sheriff Robert Sorenson that if 911 calls go unanswered  dial 402-296-9530. You can reach the Nebraska State Patrol by dialing *55.

In Otoe County, dial 402-873-9560.

Jefferson County 402-300-1911 or 402-729-2284

Johnson County 402-335-3308

Lancaster County 402-441-6000

Pawnee County 402-335-3307 or 402-335-3308

Saline County 402-821-2111

Thayer County 402-768-3502

Windstream serves 23 counties in southeast Nebraska.

911 services were also out in several counties on Sept. 1. The Nebraska Public Service Commission says a fiber optic cable was cut by a third-party contractor doing work in Omaha.

 There are 68, 911 Centers throughout Nebraska and 39 were impacted in the Sept. 1 event. The cause of the outage in Otoe, Cass and Nemaha counties has not been determined, but Filmore County Emergency Management says a fire in Lincoln is the culprit.

 From the Public Service Commission

LINCOLN - An incident at a Windstream Data Center in Lincoln, resulted in the
disruption of service to 911 centers in parts of southeast Nebraska.

 911 emergency services in the following counties Adams, Butler, Cass, Clay, Fillmore, Gage,
Jefferson, Johnson, Lancaster, Nuckolls, Otoe, Pawnee, Richardson, Saline, Saunders, Seward,
Thayer, and York Counties may be impacted. 

If your county is impacted by the disruption in service, you should follow instructions from your
local 911 center for alternative methods to reach 911.  Numbers provided should only be used in
the event of an emergency.

Windstream crews are working to bring the system back online. Questions reference the incident
should be directed to Windstream at 501-580-4759.