--- When 911 goes down.

911 is currently out of service in several states after data outage at CenturyLink data center. Two alternatives if our service goes down. 

Do you have the non-emergency local number in your phone? It ain't as good as 911 but its better than nothing.


Some N.J. counties have added text message service to 911. Essex County doesn't seem to have done this. Why not? If 911 text is active, do you have the number?


actually, when calling from a cell phone, it is often BETTER to use the old local number.  I've had that experience at a friend's house which is within a few blocks of 2 other towns.  my stalker had followed me there, I hid as my friend blocked her from getting to me.  4 minutes into the 911 call (that had gone to the county), multiple failed attempts to transfer to the local PD, they hung up on me.  I called the local number and was on the line with local PD when 911 tried calling me back a couple minutes later  Funny thing is, that local PD number has a recording that says if its an emergency hang up and call 911..seriously...so they want the person to hang up and hope they can re dial 911.  I asked them and they said it was fine to call the local number instead (especially only for PD as in that area EMS/FD is dispatched by the county, not the town)....and sure enough..stalker showed up again (she knows I am there a lot)...called local number and got a much quicker response. (Friend doesn't have a landline to call 911)


as far as I know 911 is the text number also.  i remember reading the article about it..just  like you can text or call a friend on the same number.  it said to try to call and use text if you can't talk (its not safe, unable to speak due to a disability, etc)


if voice 911 goes down, might that affect text 911?


Regarding texting 911, there is a website that lists text phone numbers for local 911's. About seven N.J. counties have set up or registered such numbers. I did not find Essex on the list. The list is nation wide and maybe I overlooked Essex.


I don’t know about M/SO, but the town where I live now has been asking people to call a local number that connects to the 911 system. There’s a non-emergency number also, but this is separate. 


seems to me the cell-phone system should be able to fall back to a local number if the main system fails.

Centurylink should have their contract revoked over this. They failed, no second chance.



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