This story has been updated.
First-responders in Hopkinsville and Christian County were advising local residents on Saturday how to seek emergency help if they do not have cellular or internet connections because of a major disruption in AT&T services following an explosion Christmas Day in Nashville.
The explosion outside an AT&T building in downtown Nashville — which authorities said was intentional — also knocked out 911 emergency calling in Christian County and other regions.
In lieu of calling 911, Christian County residents should dial 270-632-2714 or 270-887-4141, ext. 1, local officials said in several Facebook posts.
Fire stations offering assistance
Anyone needing help with fire or emergency medical issues who cannot make a call should go to one of Hopkinsville’s four fire stations. Those are located at:
- 116 W. First St.
- 1108 Skyline Drive
- 3203 Canton Pike
- 9505 Eagle Way
Other area assistance available
Oak Grove
Oak Grove residents should seek help at 2810 Walter Garrett Lane.
Fort Campbell
As of Saturday evening, Fort Campbell’s 911 lines were down and experiencing intermittent connectivity. Alternate numbers to call for emergencies or non-emergencies (stray animals, noise complaints, etc.) include
- 931-561-0414
- 931-278-3699
Sheriff’s deputies posted at area locations
The Christian County Sheriff’s Department has deputies posted at several locations:
- Crofton, Huck’s convenience store
- Pembroke, Minit-Mart
- Gracey, Dairy Dip
- Interstate 24, roaming
- Pennyrile Parkway, roaming
Alternative contact methods
Residents may also message the Emergency Communications Center on the dispatch center’s Facebook page.
Also, those who have a cell phone carrier other than AT&T can text 911 for help.
Retailers affected by outage
Retailers were also experiencing problems as of Saturday.
“Along with only being able to take cash right now, unfortunately we are unable to process any returns due to server outages. We apologize for any inconvenience,” the Walmart store in Hopkinsville posted on its Facebook page.
The Oak Grove Walmart said it could not fill pharmacy orders or process credit, debit, gift card or check transactions.
The Walmart Neighborhood Market on Canton Street announced: “Due to the AT&T outage all of our online grocery pickup/delivery services are unavailable.”
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
