Dec. 26, 2025

CodeRED Down in Belmont County, Ohio After Cyberattack

CodeRED Down in Belmont County, Ohio After Cyberattack

From November 13–20, 2025, Belmont County, Ohio, had no working CodeRED emergency alert system, leaving residents without notifications for water advisories, severe weather or public safety threats.

The outage followed a nationwide cyberattack on the OnSolve CodeRED emergency notification platform which was accompanied by a data breach involving the personal information of registered users. Nearly 11,000 Belmont County residents were enrolled in the system.

In this episode, county officials are asked about their response to the outage, revealing gaps in communication, coordination, and public notification. As questions mount, responsibility appears to shift between agencies while residents wait for clear answers.

This episode examines how the emergency alert system failed — and how journalist Karen Fatula sought transparency and accountability on behalf of the public.

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