Updated at 6:32 p.m.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – Chehalis and Centralia are experiencing phone outages and the Lewis County 911 line is experiencing difficulties.
Lewis County Department of Emergency Management Manager Steve Mansfield said shortly after 5 p.m. they are working on the situation.
[1]•••
At 5:50 p.m., Mansfield advised they were switched to a back up system, so that when a person calls 911 here, their call will be answered at the Thurston County 911 center and the information relayed back to Lewis County dispatchers.
During the approximately one hour, people could only reach the local dispatchers by calling their non-emergency phone number, using certain cell phones.
Some landlines in Chehalis and Centralia are out of service. It’s not clear how widespread the issue is.
Mansfield said he understands a fiber cable got cut somewhere, and it could be six to eight hours until it is repaired.
Citizens no longer need to call 360-740-1105 for assistance.
The Lewis County dispatch center asks citizens to call 911 for emergencies only and not for routine calls.