Global outage disrupts flights, 911 calls, DMV

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – A global computer and communications outage is affecting Monroe County.

Cybersecurity company CrowdStrike says the outage was caused by a system update early Friday morning. The outage affects Windows systems used by businesses across several different industries, like banks, media companies, and airlines. 

A representative from Monroe County tells us the county’s IT systems are experiencing disruptions from the outage.

The emergency communications systems are running on a backup. If you call 911 and the call is not answered immediately, do not hang up as the calls are answered in order.

The Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport is open, but travelers should check their flights for any cancelations or delays.

If you work for the county and are an essential employee, you should report to work. Those who can work from home are to do so.

The DMV, human services, and health department’s public-facing components, like vital records, are closed.

The University of Rochester and its medical center says employees and students may be affected when trying to use some applications.

A statement from a URMC spokeswoman says:

“As of 9 a.m., emergency and inpatient care at Strong Memorial Hospital are continuing without interruption.  MyChart is also available for patient communications.  We are working to ensure that elective procedures and outpatient appointments also take place as scheduled.  However, there will be delays in the opening of many Urgent Care Centers, lab draw stations, ambulatory practices, and patient call centers. We appreciate our patients’ understanding as we work to restore full operations as quickly as possible.”

A Rochester Regional Health spokeswoman says its organization has not been greatly impacted and its hospitals and outpatient sites are fully functional.