Cut cable disrupts 911 service

Published 12:57 pm Thursday, October 2, 2008

SNOQUALMIE VALLEY – About 2,700 customers of CenturyTel were without phone service for seven hours last week when a fiber-optic cable was accidentally cut by workers.

King County workers repairing a drainage system on Fish Hatchery Road near Snoqualmie cut the cable about 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 29, said CenturyTel spokeswoman Carol Allen.

Allen said customers in Carnation and Ames Lake were able to make calls in their area, but could not make long-distance calls. She added that residents living near Tolt Hill were without phone service all together.

Despite the disruption of 911 service for those on Tolt Hill, officials at Eastside Fire and Rescue said no problems in responding to emergencies were reported.

Allen said the line was spliced together around 6:45 p.m. but service was not fully restored until about 7:15 p.m. because the computer system had to re-calibrate.