ARCADIA, Ohio — Telephone and Internet service is being restored to nearly 1,000 TDS Telecom customers in Hancock County. The outage interrupted access to 911 emergency lines, according to spokesman Cindy Tomlinson.

Lightning struck the firm’s office in Arcadia around 6:40 p.m. Saturday, knocking out land line phone service, Ms. Tomlinson said Monday.

“If there’s no dial tone, they’re not able to call 911,” she said. “Right now it seems most people are up and should be able to reach 911, but as we continue to make repairs, if they don’t have a dial tone they’ll need to use other resources [such as cell phones] to call 911.”

Ms. Tomlinson said dispatch centers and emergency response crews were aware that the phone lines were affected.

In addition to using cell phones, people needing emergency help are urged to flag down an officer or drive themselves to the hospital, Ms. Tomlinson suggested.

Ms. Tomlinson said she was unsure when service would be fully restored. Parts that the company was waiting on arrived at the office Monday morning, she said, and crews have been out since Saturday working to restore service.

First Published July 25, 2011, 3:31 p.m.