New York City‘s 911 emergency system came under fire Wednesday at a City Council hearing, leaving more questions than answers. Officials from the city agencies that coordinate the service responded to questions from council members. The reason was a power outage in the Bronx on August 18, wh ich knocked out the service, but the community was never notified of the incident that affected hundreds of people. “What happened that morning of August 18, when there was this power outage? We need to analyze what the impact was on New Yorkers,” said council member Carmen De La Rosa. “There are reports of more than 300 people who didn’t connect to 911.” The debate took place during the week of commemoration of the September 11 terrorist attacks, and questions remained about the vulnerability of the emergency service and the risks to the city. But recently, it wasn’t just a power outage. A council member reported that the service was also affected when the power went out. Therefore, it was suggested that, as part of the strategy, there needs to be more communication. “And also, if the 911 system experiences any outage, the city should at least take precautions, including notifying the public so they know that they might be able to contact them for help in another way,” said council member Oswald Feliz. The debate intensified when it was revealed that Motorola is responsible for the service’s logistics contract. This prompted calls for Mayor Mamdani’s new administration to conduct a review and understand the details of the contract, but most importantly, to improve the service. “And we also need to understand the contract with the service provider, which is Motorola,” continued De La Rosa. “We need to investigate the contract further and determine who was responsible for the outage.” ...read more read less