Disasters spur push for 911 texting capability

NEW YORK, NY — The inability to text 911 is a potentially deadly hole in the call center’s system, and following Hurricane Irene and last week’s earthquake, there’s a renewed interest in the federal push to change that. NY1′s Michael Herzenberg filed the following report.

An earthquake left the city rattled last week, and almost nine times the normal amount of calls flooded the 911 center in a half hour.

The temblor didn’t take out phone lines, but everyone who reached for one did. The mass calling disrupted service for several carriers.

In fact, FEMA asked people to use e-mail or text messages to free up bandwidth for emergencies.

Hurricane Irene instigated more than 30,000 calls to 911 on Sunday, six times the weekend average.

Experts say it’s better to text than talk during emergencies, but in New York City and in most of the country, it’s not possible to text 911.

“When phones were down, the only way to get information to government was through texting,” said City Councilwoman Letitia James.

James wants the city to work with wireless carriers to allow residents to text 911 and 311, though it’s actually already possible to text the latter.

Still, James wants that to be more interactive. City officials maintain that texting 311 is as interactive as it can get while still being cost-effective, but changing the 911 system could save lives.

Federal officials point to the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting massacre as an example. Some witnesses tried to text 911 while a student shot and killed 32 students and faculty. The messages never went through.

Federal Communications Chairman Julius Genachowski wants to update the whole nation, but that could take years.

“There are tremendous benefits that would come with this capability, particularly for persons with disabilities or those in emergencies that can’t speak to 911 dispatchers due to circumstances that would further jeopardize their lives and safety,” said Genachowski back in November 2010.

A few cities and counties around the country have already implemented texting on their own.

Companies picked up the tab for the upgrade in Durham, North Carolina. Texting 911 is limited to Verizon Wireless there, but surprisingly, in one month, even with a public outreach and an education campaign, not one person has used it.

Read the story here.

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