Here’s the Boston Globe liveblog. There’s been a third explosion at the JFK Library (no fatalities, according to the police department). “People in Boston” are being asked to stay home, or at least “out of large groups”.
Amateur video at the link, but I couldn’t figure out how to kill the autoplay, and it’s loud (not graphic, just loud).
We’re a dozen miles from the city proper, so I’m as far out of the loop as I hope all members of the BJ community are…
ETA:
Boston mayor’s hotline (can help locate friends/family): 617-635-4500Crime tips hotline: 800-494-TIPS #bostonmarathon
— MEMA (@MassEMA) April 15, 2013
The heavy volume of mobile phone calls around downtown Boston following explosions at the Boston Marathon has clogged cell service, blocking many from getting through to people at the scene.
“We are experiencing call blocking due to what’s happening,” said Mark Elliott, a Sprint spokesman. “The network is blocking calls due because of the number of calls coming in exceeds the capacity.”
He didn’t know what the exact volume of calls has been since the explosions occurred, but said many thousands of calls made at the same time in the same are overwhelm cell towers in the area.
“There’s no way the network can handle that kind of traffic,” he said.
There have been numerous reports of many people not able to get through to their family and friends at the marathon.
Elliott said that mobile phone users should text the people they are trying to reach in the area instead of calling to free up the mobile networks for emergency uses.
Verizon Wireless, meanwhile, issued a statement, saying: “Verizon Wireless has been enhancing network voice capacity to enable additional calling in the Copley Square area of Boston. Customers are advised to use text or email to free up voice capacity for public safety officials at the scene. There was no damage to the Verizon Wireless network, which is seeing elevated calling and data usage throughout the region since the explosions occurred.“Credit to Michael B. Farrell Globe Staff