State after state is having outages and operations issues with the 911 emergency line. The most recent was Massachusetts on July 18.
State leaders had a fire lit beneath them when they realized there was a statewide outage of the entire system, while they and emergency services tried to figure out ways to get the message to the public as well as what to do in the meantime.
As reported by USA Today, “Police texted out administrative numbers that callers could use, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu gave outage updates at a press conference outlining plans for the Celtics’ championship parade, and local officials urged people to summon help by pulling red fire alarm boxes.”
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It is estimated that over 7 million people were without use of the 911 service, and thankfully it was not during a time when an emergency on a massive scale was taking place.
In 2024 alone, no less than eight states, including Massachusetts, have experienced emergency system disruptions to include: Nebraska, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, California, Georgia and Illinois.
Many experts are pointing to the aging grid supporting these systems and the lack of upgrades and modernization in these particular areas.
“Now there are haves and have-nots,” said Jonathan Gilad, vice president of government affairs at the National Emergency Number Association. “Next-generation 911 shouldn’t be for people who happen to have an emergency in a good location.”
But states are not alone in this pressing issue of the failing 911 service, as Verizon was slapped with a $1.05 million fine by the Federal Communications Commission. An outage affected six states all in the southern portion of the United States, showing that this issue is not specific to a set region, but affecting the whole country.
While politicians and bureaucrats debate the authority range of the FCC, the citizenry are the ones at risk.
There is plenty in this world to cause worry, fear and anxiety, but in all things we must remember that God is in control.
Peter tells us in 1 Peter 5:7: “Cast all your care upon Him, because He cares for you.” So while we may be experiencing an emergency in real time, we can find peace knowing that God is with us in every scenario we may face.
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James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.
