     A critical fiber optic line in the Omaha area was accidentally cut yesterday, shutting down regional 911 systems across Nebraska overnight.
Nebraska Public Service Commission State 911 Director David Sankey says service was restored at 4:30 am MT.
      Sankey says the agency determined 39 of the 68 Public Safety Answering Points or 911 centers across the state were affected by the outage in various ways.
      Technology firm Lumen reported the outage began at 6:05 MT last night and is still working to determine how the fiber optic line got cut.
     Cell phone alerts were used in many areas, including Dawes County, to give the public instructions on alternative methods for reaching 911 – which should only be used for true emergencies.
      Sankey says the PSC wants to thank the 911 centers affected by the outage for their quick work in getting the word out on the outage and for utilizing those alternative means for the public to contact emergency services