McKenzie Junction phones still down two months after flash flood [telecom]

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McKENZIE JUNCTION - Landline phone service in this area of Custer County remains down for around 40 CenturyLink customers more than two months after a phone cable was damaged during flash flooding. The cable was damaged on July 15 when torrential rain over the Junkins Fire burn scar led to flash flooding along South Hardscrabble Creek that washed out Custer County Road / U.S. Forest Service Road 386, under which the cable ran.

"By not having telephone service, my life has been at risk," said Clara Reida, 81, a McKenzie Junction resident since 1965. Reida is on oxygen 24/7 and requires multiple medications. Reida says she had to hire additional caretakers for around-the-clock monitoring for her safety due to the phone outage. "I had no way to contact anyone for help," Reida said.