When Mother Nature calls, hopefully the Wi-Fi does not drop the line but for Houston, on a day when the skies seem like they are going to rage, and the radar screens should be lighting up with warnings, Xfinity has chosen to take a nap. As the severe storms approach, residents face bad weather and bad internet.

As severe weather moves in on the Greater Houston area, widespread outages are being reported by Xfinity customers. Customers have lost not only home internet and TV services but also access to National Weather Service (NWS) data being generated out of the National Weather Service (NWS) League City office. This has occurred during an outage preventing warning dissemination from radar, critical to saving lives.

The actual system may be working, however it has not been able to transfer real-time storm data, watches, or warnings to news stations, applications, and alert systems. Fortunately, the regional National Weather Service (NWS) offices are stepping in and ensuring that severe weather alerts reach the public using other platforms.

Monitoring Weather without Direct Local NWS Feed

Despite the setback, meteorologists have been able to track today’s storm activity with radar data from regional sources, including Corpus Christi, Lake Charles, and Austin. These back-ups help forecasters follow the formation and movement of thunderstorms expected through the day. Although coverage is not completely interrupted, data lag and absence of the local radar feed reveal weaknesses in public safety infrastructure dependent on centralized technological systems.

Effective Tools for Real-Time Updates besides Xfinity

For homeowners who suffer from an outage or just want a reliable backup, KPRC 2 has a number of other alternatives for staying aware and being weather safe. They includer;

  • The KPRC 2+ Streaming App, which can be downloaded onto smart TVs and smartphones and will continue live coverage even if you lost cable or power.
  • Flood Tracker Maps is the county-level map denoting flooding risks across neighborhoods through easy to read color codes made possible in partnership with the  Harris County Flood Control District.
  • With Extended Weather Coverage, the station’s team of meteorologists provides continuous detailed coverage, from the most current hour-by-hour forecasts to road conditions and home safety tips.

Public Safety

The reliance on private infrastructure for emergency services while the outages are being resolved is a huge concern. A matter of seconds in emergency alert systems can prove critical in determining fate. The neighboring radar systems and local media stepping in shows the value of redundancy in public safety communications.

When storms pass through Houston, residents are reminded to remain alert, use multiple sources to check for updates, and ensure mobile notifications are enabled for weather warnings. Outages caused by technology do happen, but this incident has been enough to show how dangerously reliant our warning systems are. It will prove a wake-up call to utility providers as well as emergency planners, so that they could prepare accordingly within the systems. When storms come, backup plans should not be optional, but should automatically kick into place.