Residents in Lake Charles, Louisiana, have expressed concerns about recent AT&T cellular and internet outages potentially affecting their ability to reach emergency services during crucial moments. While nationwide cellular disruptions, such as Thursday’s outage, have sparked worries about 911 accessibility, local officials assure the public that emergency services remain fully operational.
Louisiana Radio Communications plays a pivotal role in ensuring uninterrupted communication for law enforcement agencies across Southwest Louisiana, including Calcasieu Parish. Vice President Garret Vincent reassures the community, emphasizing the robustness of their infrastructure. Despite recent outages affecting wireless internet services, Vincent emphasizes that there is no cause for alarm. He underscores their team’s commitment to maintaining communication channels, even during natural disasters like hurricanes.
Jared Maze, assistant director of the Calcasieu Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, echoes Vincent’s sentiments. He highlights the importance of redundancy in communication networks, explaining that they utilize multiple providers to minimize the risk of connectivity loss. Additionally, Maze mentions deployable assets that can be mobilized to ensure seamless coordination between emergency services and law enforcement agencies throughout the parish.
Both Vincent and Maze emphasize their dedication to providing uninterrupted communication services to the community, regardless of external challenges. They assure residents that even in the face of disruptive events like natural disasters or network outages, emergency services will remain accessible.
While acknowledging the occasional disruptions caused by outages, local officials remain vigilant in their efforts to mitigate the impact on public safety. Through a combination of robust infrastructure, redundant communication networks, and deployable assets, they strive to uphold the continuity of emergency services, ensuring residents’ peace of mind even in challenging circumstances.
