IOWA, USA — FRIDAY UPDATE: "Almost all services" are back online as of 12:30 p.m. Friday, Lumen said in an updated statement.
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THURSDAY NIGHT UPDATE: Lumen Technologies reports it has restored "the vast majority of consumer broadband services" impacted by the water pipe break, according to a statement Thursday night.
Landline 911 and phone services in Davenport, Marshalltown and Mason City have been restored, however, technicians are still working to restore landline 911 and phone service in Des Moines.
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Multiple agencies and public safety agencies in central Iowa reported issues with their phone lines Thursday morning, including some non-emergency phone numbers.
"Our techs are working hard to fix a service disruption, caused by a water pipe break, which is affecting landline 911, phone, and Internet service for some customers in Central and Eastern Iowa," a company representative for Lumen, the corporate name for CenturyLink, said in a statement. "Restoring impacted services is our top priority. We’ll provide regular updates, and we appreciate your patience and understanding."
Dozens of contractors closed off the Lumen building in downtown Des Moines with caution tape, and scattered tubed wires and hoses across the sidewalks as officials worked to repair the issue throughout the morning and afternoon Thursday.
The outage is also impacting CenturyLink and Quantum Fiber customers' services.
Here's what we know so far.
Dallas County
911 calls from wireless devices are working, but not from landlines.
"Due to the nature of the malfunction, the impact on services varies between locations," the Dallas County Emergency Management Agency wrote on Facebook.
Des Moines
911 calls from landlines are not working, the Des Moines Police Department posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. Calls to 911 from wireless devices are working appropriately.
"A significant malfunction at the service provider has repair efforts ongoing," the department said.
Indianola
"Repair efforts are ongoing," the city said.
Johnston
The City of Johnston wrote on Facebook that its phone lines are down and that "it seems to be a widespread outage affecting City Hall, Public Works, Parks, Johnston Public Library, and the Public Safety Building."
Johnston residents are asked to call staff members directly if they need immediate assistance.
MercyOne
MercyOne "discovered inbound calls" across many of its Iowa locations were not being received, with callers getting a busy signal, the health system said in a press release.
"The problem is reportedly due to water issues in a switching center in Des Moines, which could also be impacting cell towers," the statement reads.
Those needing an appointment should make one online, and emergency visits should be done by going to the emergency room or calling 911.
UnityPoint Health
UnityPoint Health — Des Moines posted to Facebook that phone lines are down at multiple of its hospitals and clinics:
- Patients with appointments at a UnityPoint location are asked to still come at their scheduled time.
- Patients with nonemergency questions are still able to text their clinic, or message their provider online via MyChart.
- Other questions regarding patients in a UnityPoint hospital can be submitted online.
- UnityPoint's Waterloo office can be called at 319-235-3702 for hospice information
Broadlawns Medical Center
Broadlawns Medical Center posted to Facebook it is also experiencing a phone outage, adding emergencies should still be called into 911.
It asks those needing to reach it to monitor its social media for updates.
Wapello County
Landline 911 services have been impacted in Wapello County, but wireless 911 calls are still working appropriately.
Waukee
The non-emergency phone line for the Waukee fire and police departments is not working as of 10:15 a.m. The city's 911 emergency line is working.
Westcom
West Des Moines EMS telling Local 5 News that 911 calls from wireless phones are being received at this time. However, landline phones have been impacted and may not be able to complete calls, including to 911. Automatic alarm systems may also be unable to complete calls to emergency services.
Local 5 will update this story as more information becomes available. Download the We Are Iowa app or subscribe to Local 5's "5 Things to Know" email newsletter for the latest.