BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Andrew Gibbs has lived in Bowling Green for years. On his way to visit his mother in Atlanta for the holidays, he was one of many who had trouble getting cell service on Christmas.
“Nashville was just not working for me at all on Christmas day,” said Gibbs.
The AT&T facility was one of the 41 buildings hit by the massive explosion in Nashville on Christmas morning. Phone lines, WiFi, and 911 services were all unavailable in some areas after the blast.
Gibbs said he hit the road to visit his family in Atlanta, only to find his GPS completely stuck from Portland, Tenn. to Georgia. He heard the news of the bomb on social media but experienced the aftermath first hand when he had no idea how he’d get to his destination, and had to rely solely on road signs and instinct.
“I had to get on Ellington Parkway, hadn’t been on there but twice my entire life, but I just had to guess. I was like, 'alright, cool, take a left here, be on the Brilley Parkway for a mile and then go right back on,' and it was just like super weird. Thank goodness I got through it without any damages, it was just nerve wracking a little bit,” said Gibbs.
Out of service for more than half of his trip, he had no contact with friends or family to ensure his safety or ask for navigation directions. His mom saw pictures and videos from the bombing and called Gibbs nonstop until the call finally went through.
“She had called me, and she was like manic, she was kind of worried, but soon as she heard my voice, you know, that gave her a sense of relief,” said Gibbs.
Some in the Bowling Green area were unable to get through to 911 throughout the weekend. The Bowling Green Police Department (BGPD) put out statements assuring the community that they could still be reached in case of emergency and set up two alternate lines to field all calls. The 911 system is back up and running, and residents can text the department for all emergency assistance.
AT&T is still working to restore all services to their full capacity, and Gibbs said that he's found WiFi calling to be a solution in the meantime.
“I’ve had about three calls drop since even being back. I’ve made probably about ten of those, so I can still see it’s affecting us, but I would just alway recommend to turn that WiFi calling on, it helps out tremendously,” said Gibbs.
Gibbs arrived to his family by the late afternoon. He said that although he faced obstacles to get there, he wouldn’t want to have spent Christmas day any other way.
“It was definitely a step back from 2020, but I’m definitely looking forward to 2021,” said Gibbs.
The BGPD can be reached at 911, but says if you get sent to voicemail, call 270-393-4000.