Vandalism in Arizona shuts down phone, TV, and internet service for the state

Here is the link to that picture of the severed cable.

Link to Picture

You needed to look at the source code to find it, couldn't just click on it.

ETA: The following quote shows why it is important to have some cash on hand for the immediate aftermath of such a scenario. I heard similar accounts after Katrina and other grid down scenarios.

"No one's phones work, their internet's down, none of our computers work, ATMs are down," said a bartender at the Whiskey Row Pub, where transactions were being conducted in cash-only. Kate Hance and Jessie Hutchison stopped at a Wells Fargo ATM to get cash because an ice cream shop couldn't take credit cards without a data connection. They left empty-handed because the outage also put cash machines out of service.

In Prescott Valley, about 75 miles north of Phoenix, authorities said 911 service was being supplemented with hand-held radios and alternate phone numbers. Water and sewer facilities switched to manual operations, and residents needed cash to make utility and court payments.

Like I pointed out in another thread on this story, it is situations like these that make two-way communications important, esp. if the outage goes on for an extended time. Please see my thread on unlicensed radio communications for grid down scenarios.

LINK

In that discussion I provide a link to a website I made that proposes an unlicensed 2-way network that has guidelines for setting up a system for voice and data communications without a Ham operator's license. The proposed network can be setup fairly cheaply on an individual basis customized to personal needs. It has the advantage of not having a license which is easy to find the operator's name and address attached to the call signs.