Hurricane Michael Communications Status Report for October 17, 2018
Areas Impacted by Hurricane Michael
Released On: Oct 17, 2018
The following is a report on the status of communications services in geographic areas impacted by Hurricane Michael as of October 17, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. EDT. Hurricane Michael made landfall on October 10 as a Category 4 hurricane at approximately 1:00 p.m. EDT near Mexico Beach, Florida. This report incorporates network outage data submitted by communications providers to the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS) as of 11:00 a.m. DIRS currently covers areas of Alabama, Florida, and Georgia.
The operational status of communications services during a disaster may evolve rapidly, and this report represents a snapshot in time. Although Hurricane Michael had a serious impact on communications services in the Florida Panhandle and parts of Georgia some improvements are evident, especially in wireless services. In Georgia, the percentage of cell sites out of service dropped over the last six days from 14.2% to 0.2%. In the Florida Panhandle, however, the percentage of cell sites out of service remains more significant in several areas. The FCC continues to closely monitor status of communications services, especially in the hardest hit areas.
Disaster Areas
The following 110 counties are in the current geographic area that is part of the DIRS activation (the "disaster area"). Note that on October 11, DIRS activation area was expanded to nine additional counties in Georgia.
ALABAMA: Baldwin, Dale, Geneva, Henry, Houston
FLORIDA: Bay, Calhoun, Citrus, Dixie, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Hernando, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Taylor, Wakulla, Walton, Washington
GEORGIA: Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Baker, Baldwin, Ben Hill, Berrien, Bibb, Bleckley, Brooks, Bulloch, Burke, Calhoun, Candler, Charlton, Clay, Clinch, Coffee, Colquitt, Columbia, Cook, Crawford, Crisp, Decatur, Dodge, Dooly, Dougherty, Early, Echols, Emanuel, Evans, Glascock, Grady, Hancock, Houston, Irwin, Jasper, Jeff Davis, Jefferson, Jenkins, Johnson, Jones, Lanier, Laurens, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Marion, McDuffie, Miller, Mitchell, Monroe, Montgomery, Peach, Pierce, Pulaski, Putnam, Quitman, Randolph, Richmond, Schley, Screven, Seminole, Stewart, Sumter, Tattnall, Taylor, Telfair, Terrell, Thomas, Tift, Toombs, Treutlen, Turner, Twiggs, Upson, Ware, Warren, Washington, Webster, Wheeler, Wilcox, Wilkinson, Worth
The following map shows the counties in the disaster area:
911 Services
The Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (PSHSB) learns the status of each Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) through the filings of 911 Service Providers in DIRS, through reporting to the FCC's Public Safety Support Center (PSSC), and through coordination with state 911 Administrators and, if necessary, individual PSAPs.
No PSAPs are reported as being down.
3 PSAPs (no change from yesterday) have been re-routed with ALI:
- Florida: Panama City PD, Tyndall Airforce FD, Tyndall Airforce Law
Wireless Services
The following section describes the status of wireless communications services and restoration in the disaster area, including the percentage of cell sites reported out of service for each county. The following map of the disaster area illustrates which counties are most affected:
The following table provides cell sites reported out of service by county. There are 3.2% (down from 4.4% yesterday) of cell sites reported out of service in the affected area. There are no counties in the disaster area with more than 50% of the cell sites out of service. The information shown was provided by the signatories to the Wireless Network Resiliency Cooperative Agreement.
Alabama
Cell Cell
State Sites Sites Percent
Affected Counties Served Out Out
--------------------------------------------------
AL BALDWIN 348 0 0.0%
AL DALE 105 0 0.0%
AL GENEVA 59 0 0.0%
AL HENRY 38 0 0.0%
AL HOUSTON 209 1 0.5%
--------------------------------------------------
TOTAL 759 1 0.1%
Florida
Cell Cell
State Sites Sites Percent
Affected Counties Served Out Out
--------------------------------------------------
FL BAY 327 151 46.2%
FL CALHOUN 42 3 7.1%
FL CITRUS 104 1 1.0%
FL DIXIE 20 0 0.0%
FL ESCAMBIA 243 0 0.0%
FL FRANKLIN 36 3 8.3%
FL GADSDEN 62 1 1.6%
FL GULF 23 8 34.8%
FL HERNANDO 100 0 0.0%
FL HOLMES 27 2 7.4%
FL JACKSON 83 11 13.3%
FL JEFFERSON 261 0 0.0%
FL LEON 418 32 7.7%
FL LEVY 70 0 0.0%
FL LIBERTY 9 0 0.0%
FL OKALOOSA 225 0 0.0%
FL SANTA ROSA 165 0 0.0%
FL TAYLOR 45 0 0.0%
FL WAKULLA 39 0 0.0%
FL WALTON 205 21 10.2%
FL WASHINGTON 39 8 20.5%
--------------------------------------------------
TOTAL 2,543 241 9.5%
Georgia
Cell Cell
State Sites Sites Percent
Affected Counties Served Out Out
--------------------------------------------------
GA APPLING 38 0 0.0%
GA ATKINSON 30 0 0.0%
GA BACON 26 0 0.0%
GA BAKER 19 0 0.0%
GA BALDWIN 139 0 0.0%
GA BEN HILL 18 0 0.0%
GA BERRIEN 50 0 0.0%
GA BIBB 169 2 1.2%
GA BLECKLEY 23 0 0.0%
GA BROOKS 52 0 0.0%
GA BULLOCH 136 0 0.0%
GA BURKE 59 0 0.0%
GA CALHOUN 41 0 0.0%
GA CANDLER 33 0 0.0%
GA CHARLTON 31 0 0.0%
GA CLAY 12 0 0.0%
GA CLINCH 33 0 0.0%
GA COFFEE 61 0 0.0%
GA COLQUITT 78 0 0.0%
GA COLUMBIA 165 0 0.0%
GA COOK 36 0 0.0%
GA CRAWFORD 21 0 0.0%
GA CRISP 46 0 0.0%
GA DECATUR 60 0 0.0%
GA DODGE 52 0 0.0%
GA DOOLY 32 0 0.0%
GA DOUGHERTY 124 1 0.8%
GA EARLY 18 0 0.0%
GA ECHOLS 22 0 0.0%
GA EMANUEL 59 1 1.7%
GA EVANS 19 0 0.0%
GA GLASCOCK 5 0 0.0%
GA GRADY 42 0 0.0%
GA HANCOCK 27 0 0.0%
GA HOUSTON 173 0 0.0%
GA IRWIN 18 0 0.0%
GA JASPER 31 0 0.0%
GA JEFF DAVIS 24 0 0.0%
GA JEFFERSON 275 0 0.0%
GA JENKINS 17 0 0.0%
GA JOHNSON 15 0 0.0%
GA JONES 49 0 0.0%
GA LANIER 21 0 0.0%
GA LAURENS 84 0 0.0%
GA LEE 91 0 0.0%
GA LOWNDES 163 0 0.0%
GA MACON 39 1 2.6%
GA MARION 29 0 0.0%
GA MCDUFFIE 45 1 2.2%
GA MILLER 8 0 0.0%
GA MITCHELL 36 1 2.8%
GA MONROE 53 0 0.0%
GA MONTGOMERY 69 0 0.0%
GA PEACH 46 0 0.0%
GA PIERCE 39 0 0.0%
GA PULASKI 27 0 0.0%
GA PUTNAM 40 0 0.0%
GA QUITMAN 4 0 0.0%
GA RANDOLPH 21 0 0.0%
GA RICHMOND 290 0 0.0%
GA SCHLEY 9 0 0.0%
GA SCREVEN 30 0 0.0%
GA SEMINOLE 86 1 1.2%
GA STEWART 18 0 0.0%
GA SUMTER 75 0 0.0%
GA TATTNALL 36 0 0.0%
GA TAYLOR 42 0 0.0%
GA TELFAIR 31 0 0.0%
GA TERRELL 19 0 0.0%
GA THOMAS 76 0 0.0%
GA TIFT 69 0 0.0%
GA TOOMBS 57 0 0.0%
GA TREUTLEN 21 0 0.0%
GA TURNER 30 0 0.0%
GA TWIGGS 49 0 0.0%
GA UPSON 32 0 0.0%
GA WARE 73 0 0.0%
GA WARREN 23 0 0.0%
GA WASHINGTON 42 0 0.0%
GA WEBSTER 17 0 0.0%
GA WHEELER 8 0 0.0%
GA WILCOX 32 0 0.0%
GA WILKINSON 31 0 0.0%
GA WORTH 53 0 0.0%
--------------------------------------------------
TOTAL 4,442 8 0.2%
The number of cell site outages in a specific area does not necessarily correspond to the availability of wireless service to consumers in that area. See Improving the Resiliency of Mobile Wireless Communications Networks, Order, 31 FCC Rcd 13745, para. 10 (2016) (recognizing the difficulties in accurately depicting the ongoing status of a wireless provider's service during emergencies). Wireless networks are often designed with numerous, overlapping cell sites that provide maximum capacity and continuity of service even when an individual site is inoperable. Moreover, wireless providers frequently use temporary facilities such as cells-on-wheels, increased power at operational sites, roaming agreements, or take other actions to maintain service to affected consumers during emergencies or other events that result in cell site outages.
Cable Systems and Wireline (Combined)
The cable system and wireline outage table reflects outages of communications service provided by cable and wireline companies in the impacted area, which may include the loss of telephone, television, and/or Internet services.
State Subscribers Out of Service AL 517 FL 112,402 GA 38,129
Broadcast
Television stations status:
28 (no change from yesterday) TV stations reported being operational (WABW, WACS, WALATV, WALB, WCES, WDHN, WEIQ, WFLA-TV, WFNA, WGNM, WJCL, WJSP, WJTC, WKRG-TV, WMBB, WMOR-TV, WMUM, WPAN, WPMI, WRBL, WRMD-CD, WSAV-TV, WSCG, WTTA, WTXL, WVAN, WVUP-CD, WXGA).
1 (no change from yesterday) TV station reported being out of service (WFXL).
FM Radio stations status:
102 (up from 101 yesterday) FM radio stations reported being operational (W201DJ, W204CM, W206BP, W209CD, W209CG, W212BY, W214BZ, W219DH, W220DS, W232BI, W233AP, W242BF, W245BT, W259CA, W266CM, W269BJ, W271BC, W279CU, W287CG, W290AS, WAAC, WABD, WABR, WAKU, WASU-LP, WBBQ-FM, WBLX-FM, WBYZ, WBZE, WCSN-FM, WCUG, WDBN, WDEN-FM, WDLT-FM, WDLV, WEBZ, WFLA-FM, WFLF-FM, WFRP, WFSY, WGCN, WGEX, WGLF, WGMY, WGOV-FM, WHBX, WHHR, WIBB-FM, WIFO, WIZB, WJIZ-FM, WJSP-FM, WJWV, WKAA, WKAK, WKKZ, WKSM, WLGK, WLOV-LP, WLUB, WLXF, WLZN, WMCG, WMGB, WMRZ, WMUMFM, WNCV, WNUQ, WOBB, WPAP, WPEZ, WPLV, WQBZ, WQIL, WQPW, WQTS, WQXZ, WQZY, WSTI, WSVH, WTCQ, WTGF, WTNT-FM, WTSM, WUNV, WVGA, WVKV, WWET, WWLD, WWLD, WWRQ, WWWD, WXHT, WXJB, WXRA, WXSR, WXVS, WYCT, WYUM, WYZB, WZCH, WZNS).
13 (no change from yesterday) FM radio stations reported being out of service (WASJ, WBMZ, WEGC, WHKV, WJAD, WJEP, WKIH, WKNK, WPFM, WQVE, WRBA, WSWL-LP, WZRE-LP).
1 (no change from yesterday) FM radio station reported being down with programming sent to another station (WXRS).
AM Radio stations status:
23 (up from 22 yesterday) AM radio stations reported being operational (WALG, WAYS, WCLA, WDAK, WEBY, WFTW, WGSY, WGUN, WHBT, WHEP, WJAT, WJYZ, WLOP, WMAC, WMLT, WNRP, WTLY, WVLD, WVOP, WWIO, WWJB, WXLI, WXQW).
2 (down from 3 yesterday) AM radio stations reported being out of service (WDIZ, WXRS)
As prepared by the Federal Communications Commission: October 17, 2018 11:00 a.m. EDT
The above info was copied from the FCC's annoying PDF file preference, found on this page (docs.fcc.gov).
The FCC provides text and PDF versions of the reports, but both formats do not display within the web browser. My browser automatically downloads each format to my local file system. I assume that FCC's web server does not support sending .txt and .pdf formats, or something like that.
But why does the FCC NOT create an HTML version? It's easy to do.
In section of the report that showed cell service by county, the FCC displayed the info in tabular format. I choose to display the info as a code block, instead of using HTML table tags.