Historic flooding in Texas has caused some cell sites in Houston to go dark, compromising communication between some first responders. Local crews are working furiously to help restore communication in Houston.
Evacuees wade down Tidwell Road as floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey rise Monday, Aug. 28, 2017, in Houston.
(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
AP Photo/David J. Phillip
Wyatt Wasicek uses a chainsaw to cut a tree stump in Refugio, Texas, Monday, Aug. 28, 2017.
(Nick Wagner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
Nick Wagner/Austin American-Statesman via AP
Evacuees from Tropical Storm Harvey arrive at Dallas Love Field on a military aircraft in Dallas on Monday, Aug. 28, 2017. Floodwaters reached the rooflines of single-story homes Monday and people could be heard pleading for help from inside as Harvey poured rain on the Houston area for a fourth consecutive day after a chaotic weekend of rising water and rescues.
(David Woo/The Dallas Morning News via AP)
David Woo/The Dallas Morning News via AP
Debris lies on the ground near homes in the Key Allegro subdivision of Rockport, Texas in the wake of Hurricane Harvey on Monday, Aug. 28, 2017.
(Rachel Denny Clow/Corpus Christi Caller-Times via AP)
Rachel Denny Clow/Corpus Christi Caller-Times via AP
Theresa Ross receives a tank of oxygen when she arrived to the George R. Brown Convention Center seeking shelter with her husband in Houston on Monday, Aug. 28, 2017. Floodwaters reached the rooflines of single-story homes Monday and people could be heard pleading for help from inside as Harvey poured rain on the Houston area for a fourth consecutive day after a chaotic weekend of rising water and rescues.
(Marie D. De Jesus/Houston Chronicle via AP)
Marie D. De Jesus/Houston Chronicle via AP
Floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey surround homes Monday, Aug. 28, 2017, in Spring, Texas.
(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
AP Photo/David J. Phillip
Rhonda Worthington talks on her cell phone with a 911 dispatcher after her car became stuck in rising floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey in Houston, Texas, Monday, Aug. 28, 2017. Worthington said she thought the water was low enough to drive through before the vehicle started to float away.
(AP Photo/LM Otero)
AP Photo/LM Otero
John and Cathy Cservek hold their dogs Lacy and Iggy while being rescued from their home as floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey rise Monday, Aug. 28, 2017, in Spring, Texas.
(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
AP Photo/David J. Phillip
A rescue truck brings people to a street intersection at the east Sam Houston Tollway as evacuations continue from flooding in Houston, Texas, Monday, Aug. 28, 2017, following Tropical Storm Harvey. Floodwaters reached the rooflines of single-story homes Monday and people could be heard pleading for help from inside as Harvey poured rain on the Houston area for a fourth consecutive day after a chaotic weekend of rising water and rescues.
(Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via AP)
Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via AP
Shawn Hagdorn helps to cover the roof of his father’s home that was damaged in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, Monday, Aug. 28, 2017, in Rockport, Texas.
(AP Photo/Eric Gay)
WASHINGTON — Crews in D.C. and Texas are working furiously to pull communications in Houston back up after historic flooding caused certain cell sites to go dark, compromising communication between first responders.
“With respect to cell sites, there are something like 7,800 cell sites in the affected area. About four percent of those are down at the moment,” said Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission Ajit Pai.
The FCC is issuing special temporary authority to crews in Texas who can put up new cell towers, allowing dispatchers to better locate victims and send help faster.
“It’s going to be difficult for repair crews to get into some of these areas to erect the communications infrastructure necessary to make these calls and texts go through,” Pai said.
They’re also bracing existing infrastructure for the next wave of wet weather.
“We want to make sure emergency responders, police, fire and the rest have what they need to keep folks safe,” Pai said.
