911 calls from cellphones now working in Beaufort and Jasper counties, officials say
After more than 12 hours, an outage that affected 911 calls from cellphones in Beaufort and Jasper counties has been resolved, according to the Burton Fire District and Jasper County Emergency Services.
A post on the Burton Fire District’s Facebook page at 9:11 a.m. said the 911 issue had been resolved for Beaufort County.
An alert sent out via email at 10:54 a.m. from Jasper County Emergency Services said the issue also was resolved for Jasper County.
The mobile 911 dialing systems went down for Beaufort and Jasper counties on Sunday evening, according to alerts from the Sheriff’s Offices for both counties.
The systems went down after a pocket of strong storms rolled through the region.
Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Bob Bromage said it appears lightning struck a cellphone tower and took out the system.
Those needing assistance were advised to use a landline phone to make the call overnight.
The 911 system was never affected on Hilton Head Island, according to Joheida Fister, spokeswoman for Hilton Head Island Fire/Rescue.
Some minor flooding also was reported, shutting down the Bluffton flyover of the Bluffton Parkway.
This story was originally published August 19, 2018 at 8:37 PM.