911 system restored in South Mississippi after statewide outage

Law enforcement agencies said 911 service had been restored after damage to fiber-optic lines caused an outage across Mississippi and Louisiana.

The 911 service returned Thursday afternoon after several hours of disruption. Gov. Tate Reeves said on social media that the problem began when fiber-optic cables, which transmit phone signals, were damaged.

Police and sheriff’s departments across the Mississippi Coast scrambled on Thursday afternoon to provide alternate numbers for residents to call in the event of emergencies.

The scale of the problem varied across the area. Biloxi police said residents could still dial 911 to be automatically rerouted to dispatch, while Harrison County provided several alternate emergency numbers.

By 5 p.m. Thursday law enforcement agencies across South Mississippi said residents could again call 911 for help in emergencies.

This story was originally published September 25, 2025 at 2:03 PM.