Oelwein / NE Iowa 911 Outage Update

On Monday, March 31 2014, it was learned that a fiber optic cable was severed in the Independence area.  Standard calls within cities were going through, as well as cellular phone calls, but not long distance or 911 calls.

Sometime late last (Monday) night or early this (Tuesday) morning, the severed line was repaired, and regular phone service, including emergency numbers, are now working.

According to the Oelwein Police Department, CenturyLink advised them of phone issues within the city of Oelwein, starting late Monday morning or early afternoon. A emergency phone and long distance services in Oelwein and other Northeast Iowa communities are back online, after several hours without the service.

Those residents with emergency situations were asked to first call 991, and if the caller gets a busy signal, they should hang-up and call the Oelwein Police Department's non-emergency telephone, at 319-283-4311.

It was learned that a fiber optic cable was severed, in the Independence area. Calls within cities were going through, as well as cell phone calls, but not long distance and 911.

A CenturyLink spokesperson said the cut affected customers from Oelwein to Calmar; some in the Decorah area also reported an outage.

Story Credit: Roger King of AM 950 KOEL