Damaged fiber cables repaired; AT&T services restored in Southwest Louisiana

Lake Charles, LA (KPLC) - Cellular and internet service has been restored in Southwest Louisiana after two damaged AT&T fiber cables were repaired.

Numerous AT&T customers reported cell, phone and internet issues today. AT&T cell users saw an SOS symbol where the 5G symbol is normally.

AT&T said Thursday morning that two fiber cables were damaged during recent severe weather, but Thursday afternoon corrected that with updated information.

One cable was pulled down by a passing truck and the other cut by a contractor digging in the area.

An AT&T spokesperson told us just before 4 p.m. that the fiber damage had been repaired.

“Our technicians are working as quickly as possible to repair two fiber cable cuts affecting wireless and internet service for some customers in the Lake Charles area,” the spokesperson said this morning. “One cut occurred when a cable was pulled down by a passing truck. The other cut occurred by a third-party contractor digging in the area. We apologize for the inconvenience and are doing our best to restore service.”

KPLC was without internet in downtown Lake Charles.

AT&T

The parking lot of the AT&T on W. Prien Lake Rd. was been temporarily blocked off by authorities. A manager at the store said too many people were coming in to complain about the service outage which store personnel can’t do anything about. According to the manager, casinos and banks were also being affected by the outage and that is not just a cell phone service issue.

HOSPITALS

KPLC reached out to local hospitals to determine if they are being impacted by the outage.

Representatives with Lake Charles Memorial Health System said that their internet and phone lines are all still functional. If a patient has trouble contacting them via phone and has internet service they can still contact the hospital at LCMH.com/contactus.

West Calcasieu Cameron Hospital representatives said their facility remains open and operational.

Christus Health reported some intermittent phone and internet interruptions.

CITY AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE

Several law enforcement agencies, including the Calcasieu Sheriff’s Office and the Beauregard Sheriff’s Office, were also experiencing phone troubles.

Calcasieu Sheriff’s Office:

Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office’s phones lines are currently out of service and incoming calls cannot be received at this time. It is not known how long it will take to repair the problem. To reach the Sheriff’s Office for non-emergencies please call (337)602-6801. For all emergencies, please call 911 and those calls will be routed to the Sheriff’s Office.

Beauregard Sheriff’s Office and DeRidder Police Department:

“Due to AT&T phone service outages and the inability to contact emergency services, if you need BPSO, DeRidder Police Department, Fire, or EMS services you can still contact 9-1-1 or you can use 337-462-2400 for the agency you need. We have representatives from the different agencies at that number to take your call.”

Lake Charles Police and Fire departments:

The City of Lake Charles is currently experiencing phone issues due to an AT&T service interruption. All City facilities, including Fire and Police, are experiencing intermittent service outages on City landlines and cell phones. If you have a Fire or Police emergency, and need assistance, please dial 911. 911 is still able to receive calls.

OTHER

Beauregard Electric:

The phone and Internet lines are down at this time and we can only take cash or check payments in the offices. BECi will not work disconnects today for all traditional and PPM accounts. The offices will also be closed from 11:30 am until 1:30 pm for an employee meeting. We will re-open at 1:30 pm. Thank you.