Copper theft leaves 80-year-old residents without phones

Ruth Vitale pays $228 every month to keep her landline active. The cost matters to her because she has lived in the Laurel Canyon section of the Hollywood Hills since 1988 and views the phone as a critical tool for survival.

Her service provider, AT&T, confirmed that a disruption cut off landline phones for many residents in the area. The company stated the outage is linked to an ongoing copper wire theft. AT&T crews are currently working to restore service but did not provide a specific timeline for completion.

The company also did not disclose how many customers were affected by the breakage. Neighbors reported that their phones stopped working last Thursday, according to We Are Laurel Canyon, a nonprofit group that advocates for public safety in the historic neighborhood.

Kristen Stavola, the executive director of We Are Laurel Canyon, noted that the area contains many dead zones for cellular service. She emphasized the vulnerability of older residents during the outage. "We’ve got some 80- or 90-year-old people who, in an emergency, cannot call their family; they cannot contact anyone to say that something has happened," Stavola said.

Vitale described her anxiety regarding the lack of a reliable communication method. She recalled a storm two years ago that left the neighborhood without electricity for four days. "When the electricity goes out during a storm, which it did for four days two years ago, your phone won't work," Vitale said. She added that the current situation is "terrifying" and leaves her feeling "slightly anxious" at night.