Officials: Majority of Pennsylvania 911 calls going through hours after statewide outages

Jacob Comer and Lindsay Shachnow / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Statewide intermittent 911 outages are continuing, but state officials in an update Friday evening said a majority of calls were going through and that residents should dial 911 if they have an emergency.

If the call does not go through, people should follow the instructions of their local 911 center.

The statewide emergency alert about 911 outages went out just before 3:30 p.m. Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency officials said the system was still having some "intermittent connectivity issues” as teams continued to troubleshoot Friday evening.

In the update just after 6 p.m., PEMA officials said the majority of 911 calls were making their way through the state system, but there may be some issues, such as losing location or phone number data.

Officials said the cause of the issue had not yet been identified.

What to do if your 911 call doesn’t go through

Individuals who are unable to contact 911 are asked to reach out to their local 911 center on their non-emergency lines, PEMA said.

Residents in Allegheny County experiencing issues can use a secondary contact number: 412-473-3056.

Allegheny County Emergency Services is fully operational and functioning, authorities said.

Pennsylvania is experiencing a statewide intermittent 9-1-1 phone outage. Please continue to dial 9-1-1 in case of an emergency. If you cannot get through via 9-1-1 and are in Allegheny County, dial (412)-473-3056.

See more below:

— Allegheny County Emergency Services (@ACES_911) July 11, 2025

Here are alternative numbers for the Pittsburgh region:


In a statement on social media, Gov. Josh Shapiro urged residents to remain calm.

“I have been briefed by PA Emergency Management Agency on the intermittent 911 outage currently happening in some parts of Pennsylvania,” Mr. Shapiro said in a post on Facebook. “We are on top of the issue and working to restore full service as quickly as possible. In the meantime — stay calm, follow the directions of PEMA and local authorities, and do not call 911 for any reason other than an emergency.”