EIU Media Relations

Weather-Related Water Damage Takes Out 35 Percent of EIU's Telephones; Repairs Expected to Take Two to Three Days

Apr-06-2009

UPDATE (Tuesday, April 8, 2009) -- We're happy to report that all major repairs were completed by 6 a.m. today. Individuals on campus still experiencing problems with their telephone service should contact Telecommunications at 581-5951.

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Nearly 35 percent of Eastern Illinois University's campus will be without phone service while Consolidated Communications technicians work to replace damaged cable.

Campus constituents are encouraged to use e-mail and cell phones until regular phone service is restored -- a process that is expected to take two to three days to complete. In case of emergencies, employees/students should phone 911 on their cell phones and be prepared to give dispatchers specific locations.

Users without phone service are reminded that they can continue to check their office voice mail through either their home or cell phones. (**See instructions below.)

According to Clay Hopkins, director of Telecommunications at Eastern, the phone outages began Sunday night as a result of weather-related conditions. It was discovered that water had damaged a portion of underground cable, causing 1,800 of the campus' 5,200 phone lines to quit working.

The affected phones are spread out across campus, including various academic and administrative buildings, and some residence halls.

Hopkins advised that the campus community will see phone service return gradually; not all phones will resume working at once. Campus constituents should check Eastern's main Web page and/or University Newsletter for up-to-date information.

**Instructions to get to your voicemail from your cell phone, from home or while traveling away from EIU:

Call 217-581-0400. (You must enter all 10 digits.)

Press *

Enter your 10-digit campus phone number (217-581-XXXX).

Enter your password/security code when prompted.

Retrieve your messages as normal by following the system prompts.