Verizon Restores Partial 911 Service to Prince William, Fairfax

Update: July 1, 2:25 p.m.:

Verizon spokesperson Harry Mitchell says they have had to deal with "a number of technical and mechanical challenges, in addition to storm damage such as downed poles and trees on our wires." 

One of the biggest challenges has been a power failure at one of the Verizon facilities in Arlington, which has made it more difficult for some callers to dial 911 in Prince William and Fairfax Counties. 

"These counties' 911 centers now are receiving most calls, and we continue to work diligently to restore full calling to them, as well as 911 centers in Manassas and Manassas Park," Mitchell said. "We’re working late hours – often around the clock – and bringing in additional technicians from other parts of our service area to assist in bringing service back as quickly as we possibly can.  We appreciate customers’ continued patience as we work to restore services in the wake of one of the worst storms in recent memory."

Update: July 1, 1:30 p.m.:

AT&T spokeswoman Kate MacKinnon:

AT&T technicians across the region are mobilized and working quickly to resolve the issue. Forecasted high temperatures and additional thunderstorms may impact recovery efforts, including commercial power restoration. AT&T's Global Network Operations Center will continue to closely monitor and help coordinate the local recovery efforts.

Specitfic numbers on the number of customers affected or the exact nature and extent of the problems were not available.

Update: July 1, 8:00 a.m.:

Verizon spokesperson Harry Mitchell said the company is "making progress" in restoring service to the area, but still has some hurdles to overcome.

"We still face a number of challenges, with many related to the loss of commercial power -- an issue faced by more than a million residences and businesses throughout the area.  Fairfax and Prince William Counties' 911 centers are receiving some calls, and we continue to work diligently to restore full calling to them," Mitchell said. "We appreciate customers’ continued patience as we work to restore services in the wake of one of the worst storms in recent memory."

Mitchell could not provide exact numbers on service failures in the area.

"Some customers’ service is restored as other customers report theirs out," he said. "For example, many of our FiOS customers are affected by the widespread power outages, and their service likely will come back after power is restored."

Original story:

Widespread outages in the Verizon and AT&T networks are causing problems not only for mobile and home customers, but also for electric companies in Northern Virginia. 

Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative officials said they haven't been able to reach all their line technicians and operations personnel to ask them to report to work. NOVEC is asking all its line technicians to report to work, even if they didn't receive a phone call, NOVEC spokesman Mike Curtis said.

AT&T spokeswoman Kate MacKinnon issued this statement Saturday afternoon:

“Due to damaging storms that have knocked out power across the Midwest and Northeast regions of the country, some AT&T customers in impacted areas in Virginia and Washington D.C. may be experiencing issues with wireless service.

AT&T technicians across the affected areas are mobilized and currently working to resolve the issues, including the deployment of generators and repairing storm-damaged facilities.

We apologize for any inconvenience to our customers and will continue to closely monitor and help coordinate the recovery efforts through our Global Network Operations Center."

From Verizon spokesman Harry J. Mitchell:

"The severe storms that hit the Washington metropolitan area Friday night – and the resulting power outages that have affected much of the region – have also affected services for some Verizon customers. Our operations teams currently are assessing the impact and are working to restore service as quickly as possible."