Update:

Calcasieu 911 has reported that services are back to normal in the parish. Cell phones can again be used for emergency calls. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Original:

Louisiana - A major 911 outage has left residents across Louisiana and Mississippi without access to emergency services on Thursday afternoon, forcing law enforcement agencies to implement alternative contact methods for people in crisis situations.

The widespread service disruption began just after 1 p.m. and affects multiple parishes in Louisiana, including Calcasieu, DeSoto, Pointe Coupee, and Orleans parishes. Officials expect the outage to continue for several hours as technicians work to restore service.

Fiber Cut Blamed For Emergency Service Disruption

The DeSoto Parish Sheriff's Office identified the cause as a "major fiber cut," while Pointe Coupee Parish officials attributed the outage to a "technical issue with AT&T." Orleans Parish officials confirmed the fiber cut occurred in Mississippi, creating a ripple effect across state lines.

Fiber optic cables carry internet and phone signals using light pulses through thin glass strands. When these cables are severed, entire regions can lose communication services simultaneously.

Calcasieu Parish Provides Emergency Alternatives

The Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office has established alternative emergency contact methods for residents unable to reach 911 through traditional dialing.

If you have an emergency and your cell phone or landline cannot successfully dial 911, try texting 911 or call CPSO at 337-491-3795. If you are needing an ambulance, call 1-469-513-6577.

Calcasieu Parish E911 officials report they can still receive some 911 calls from certain landline phones and maintain the ability to receive text-to-911 messages. The text-to-911 service allows residents to send emergency messages directly to dispatchers when voice calls fail.

Limited Landline Access Remains Available

Several parishes report that landline phones maintain better connectivity to emergency services compared to cellular devices during the outage. This difference occurs because landline networks often use separate infrastructure from cellular systems.

Emergency management officials recommend residents attempt landline calls to 911 before trying alternative contact methods. However, they stress that people should not delay seeking help if landline access is unavailable.

Emergency services typically operate through redundant systems designed to prevent widespread outages. However, major infrastructure damage like fiber cuts can overwhelm these backup measures, particularly when the damage occurs at critical network junction points.

Recovery Efforts Underway

Telecommunications technicians are working to repair the damaged fiber infrastructure, though officials have not provided specific timeline estimates beyond "several hours." The repair process for major fiber cuts typically involves locating the exact break point, splicing new cable sections, and testing network integrity before restoring full service.

Emergency Numbers by Parish

Louisiana officials have provided the following phone numbers for emergencies while the 911 system is being repaired.

• Acadia Parish:
• Sheriff’s Office: (337) 788-8700
• Church Point Police: (337) 684-5455
• Crowley Police: (337) 783-1234
• Rayne Police: (337) 334-4215
• Allen Parish:
• General: (337) 389-7000
• Ascension Parish:
• Sheriff’s Office: (225) 621-8300
• Assumption Parish:
• General: (985) 369-2913
• Avoyelles Parish:
• General: (318) 253-4000, select option 1
• Beauregard Parish:
• Sheriff’s Office: (337) 463-3281
• Deridder Police: (337) 463-3281
• Bienville Parish:
• General: (318) 894-2092
• Bossier Parish:
• Sheriff’s Office: (318) 741-9201
• Police Department: (318) 918-3870 or (318) 465-8554
• Medical/Fire: (318) 751-4841 or (318) 617-9730
• Caddo Parish:
• Sheriff’s Office: (318) 675-2170, (318) 564-6220
• Shreveport Police: (318) 675-2129, (318) 560-6709, (318) 560-2571
• Shreveport Fire: (318) 675-2151, (318) 560-0715, (318) 603-2249
• Calcasieu Parish:
• General: (337) 491-3795
• Caldwell Parish:
• General: (318) 649-2345
• Cameron Parish:
• General: (337) 563-0143
• Catahoula Parish:
• General: (318) 744-5411
• Claiborne Parish:
• General: (318) 927-2011
• Concordia Parish:
• General: (318) 414-0090 or (318) 414-0160
• Desoto Parish:
• General: (318) 947-7901 or (318) 872-3956
• East Baton Rouge Parish:
• General: (225) 389-3300
• Zachary Police: (225) 654-9393
• Zachary Fire: (225) 654-0026
• East Carroll Parish:
• Sheriff’s Office: (318) 559-2800
• Evangeline Parish:
• General: (337) 363-3267 or (337) 363-3345
• Franklin Parish:
• General: (318) 435-4505
• Grant Parish:
• Unaffected
• Iberia Parish:
• Sheriff’s Office: (337) 369-3711
• New Iberia Police: (337) 369-2306
• Jeanerette Police: (337) 276-6323
• Loreauville Police: (337) 229-6323
• Iberville Parish:
• 911 calls rerouted to administrative lines
• Jefferson Parish:
• General: (504) 227-1400
• Lafayette Parish:
• General: (337) 232-1400
• LaSalle Parish:
• General: (318) 992-2151
• Livingston Parish:
• Unaffected
• Natchitoches Parish:
• General: (318) 609-3162 or (318) 354-5971
• Orleans Parish:
• General: (504) 513-6594
• Ouachita Parish:
• General: (318) 329-1200
• Plaquemines Parish:
• Unaffected
• Pointe Coupee Parish:
• General: (225) 638-5445
• Rapides Parish:
• Alexandria Police: (318) 449-5099
• Alexandria Fire: (318) 442-6603
• Pineville Police: (318) 442-6603
• Pineville Fire: (318) 442-4452
• Sheriff’s Office: (318) 473-6700
• Red River Parish:
• General: (318) 932-4221
• Richland Parish:
• General: (318) 728-2071 or (318) 435-7000
• Sabine Parish:
• Sheriff’s Office: (318) 256-9241
• St. Bernard Parish:
• General: (504) 271-2501, (504) 278-7664, (504) 579-4888, (504) 784-3087
• St. Charles Parish:
• General: (504) 415-6157, (985) 722-0546, (985) 722-0864
• St. James Parish:
• General: (225) 562-2200
• St. Landry Parish:
• Sheriff’s Office: (337) 948-5813 or (337) 948-6516
• St. Martin Parish:
• General: (337) 394-3071
• St. Mary Parish:
• General: (337) 339-1809 or (337) 578-0179
• St. Tammany Parish:
• General: (985) 643-4242
• Slidell: (985) 646-4201 or (985) 646-4219
• Mandeville/Bush/Folsom/Covington: (985) 276-1300
• Madisonville: (985) 276-1501
• Tangipahoa Parish:
• General: (985) 747-0911
• Tensas Parish:
• General: (318) 766-3961, (318) 766-3376, (318) 301-5008, (318) 301-5012
• Union Parish:
• General: (318) 368-3124
• Vermilion Parish:
• Sheriff’s Office: (337) 740-4530
• Abbeville Police: (337) 893-2511
• Erath Police: (337) 937-5651 or (337) 937-5711
• Gueydan Police: (337) 536-9219
• Kaplan Police: (337) 643-8600
• Maurice Police: (337) 893-2540
• Delcambre Police: (337) 685-2697
• Vernon Parish:
• Sheriff’s Office: (337) 238-1311
• Leesville Police: (337) 238-0331
• Fort Polk: (726) 780-2677
• Washington Parish:
• General: (985) 335-8516
• Webster Parish:
• General: (337) 377-1515
• West Baton Rouge Parish:
• General: (225) 490-8589
• West Carroll Parish:
• General: (318) 428-2331
• West Feliciana Parish:
• General: (225) 784-3146
• Winn Parish:
• General: (318) 628-4611
• Winfield Police: (318) 628-3511