A large portion of the area was without 911 service, and some without any phone service at all, for a few hours Tuesday. Sulphur Springs Police Department’s phone system went down before lunch, but the regular lines were up and running, with 911 relaying to the regular phone system by 5 p.m. Tuesday.
Some officials and residents said they were told multiple cell phone towers were down throughout Northeast Texas Tuesday afternoon, Nov. 30, and 911 systems were down across several counties, spanning from Hopkins, Delta and Grayson counties across to Morris County.
The first local outage was reported at 11:20 a.m. Nov. 21, 2021, by Sulphur Springs Police Chief Jason Ricketson. He notified local media and posted a notice on social media, letting the community know that SSPD’s phone system was down, including 911. Anyone in the city with an emergency was told to call the Hopkins County Sheriffs Office at 903-885-2768 for assistance.
At approximately 2:20 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2021, Hopkins County Emergency Management and Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce reported that 911 service was down not only for the city of Sulphur Springs and but in other areas of Hopkins County, as well as across the Region. Delta, Franklin, Grayson, and Morris counties HCEM officials noted were among the counties where 911 outages were reported. The Chamber of Commerce around that time also noted they’ve been told numerous cell towers were down. Emergency management officials were told at that time that 911 service could be out or disrupted across for the area through about 1 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021.
Around 4:20 p.m. Nov. 30, Chief Ricketson reported the police department’s landline is once again operational, with 911 calls rerouted to the landline. However, that means an extra step in the process. In order to make contact with SSPD dispatch center, callers must press press 1. Ricketson said officials would report when service if fully restored.
Some phone services were reported to have been restored, while others were last reported to be sporadically still without service Tuesday evening.
Anyone who experiences difficulties getting through on 911 in the city or elsewhere in Hopkins County may call 903-885-2768 to speak with Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office communications operators for emergency and non-emergency issues. HCSO dispatchers should be able to transfer callers to the appropriate agency or facility.
