During cell phone service outage, how do you call 911?

ATLANTA — Amid Thursday’s major phone outage affecting carriers like AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile, it’s important to know how to still get in touch with first responders when you need help.

To that end, here are some tips from Georgia emergency responders and police for how to call for help when phones are down.

The Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency said that if you need to call 911, try using a landline phone or WiFi calling if possible while cellular networks are impacted by a reported nationwide outage.

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If you’re on a college campus like Georgia Tech, campus police said to use LiveSafe from Wi-Fi or Blue Light phones on campus to call for help if needed.

Cobb County police said that for customers who can’t get through to 911, using a landline or calling over Wi-Fi would do the trick, and that their 911 center is still operating to reach impacted residents.

AT&T and Cricket Wireless, which is owned by AT&T, said in a statement that they are “working urgently to restore service” and encouraged Wi-Fi calling until service is back up.

T-Mobile said they have not been impacted by the outage, while Verizon told the Associated Press they had normal network operations, saying in part “Some customers experienced issues this morning when calling or texting with customers served by another carrier. We are continuing to monitor the situation.”

As reported by Channel 2 Action News on Thursday morning, the city of Atlanta sent out the following statement regarding the outage:

“We are aware that AT&T is having cellular outages this week and are actively gathering information to determine how the City of Atlanta can assist in resolving this issue. Atlanta’s E-911 is able to receive inbound and make outbound calls. We have received calls from AT&T customers that their cellular phones are in SOS mode. Please direct all inquiries to restore service to AT&T.”

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