Phone outage affects Medimont residents (UPDATED)

UPDATE: Phone service has been restored to all affected residents. The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank everyone for their patience during this time.

A phone outage in the Medimont area between Cataldo and the Highway 97/Highway 3 interchange is affected all hardline communication, including 911 services.

The problem was originally reported on Friday. Frontier has reportedly determined that the problem is with a buried line and have dispatched crews to dig up all lines in order to find the break.

Frontier does not yet have an estimated time when service will be restored.

It is unknown how many residents are affected by this outage. The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office conducted a “reverse 911 call” for the area, which includes hard lines and cell phones. The call reached 262 property owners.

Cellphone coverage in the area is “spotty,” but those who have coverage are encouraged to reach out to their neighbors, especially the elderly or ill.

If someone needs medical attention, authorities suggest they respond to Benewah County Hospital or go to a place where there is cell phone service.

Police will patrol the area until the lines are fixed or until there are measures in place to supply cell service.