CLEVELAND — After being closed for two days amid an ongoing investigation of a "cyber incident," Cleveland City Hall and Erieview will reopen on Wednesday with a delayed start of 11 a.m.
According to a city spokesperson, the full extent of the threat is currently under investigation and the ongoing closure of City Hall was a precautionary measure.
The following statement was given to 3News by the Bibb administration on Tuesday afternoon before the announcement that Cleveland City Hall would be reopening on Wednesday:
"The City, along with our partners, have been working nonstop throughout the night and around-the-clock to resolve this issue. It is our top priority to find a solution as quickly and as safely as possible. We want to stress to our residents to please call 911 if they need emergency services and that they can rest assured knowing that the dedicated members of our Public Safety Divisions will respond. Police will show up to address criminal matters, Fire will arrive to handle fire incidents, and EMS ambulances and personnel will respond to those who call needing medical attention.
"We understand and empathize with the frustration and fear being felt by the community, as well as their desire and need for more information. These are extremely complex, nuanced situations. If we could provide more details without compromising the investigation we would, as transparency is a cornerstone to local government; however, we need to follow best practices and the technological guidance from experts in the field who have dealt with these exact situations in the past.
"We are using every single tool in our arsenal to remedy the issue and are committed to continuously providing updates as soon as we can and to the extent we are able that doesn’t compromise the ongoing investigation."
Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb held a press conference Monday to discuss the situation, though few specifics were shared.
"Basic city services are operating normally," Bibb said. "Though they have to adapt to limited IT operating capabilities, our public safety, public utilities, public works, and airport teams are in the field and working on behalf of the city residents."
3News has learned Cleveland EMS phone bases went down around 4 p.m. Sunday and did not return until 3 a.m. Monday morning. Christina Miller, the service's secretary, told us, "I can't imagine the mess dispatch had to deal with, as their job is already stressful and difficult." She added they were forced to do their job manually.
Additionally, sources inside the Cleveland Division of Police say the internet has been down and that they have no access to maps or online communication with Cuyahoga County. PulsePoint, a 911-connected app, has also been down since the breach.
You can read City Hall's prior statement below:
"The City of Cleveland is currently investigating a cyber incident and though we have not confirmed its nature and scope, we are taking this incident seriously.
"As a precautionary measure, the city has shut down the affected systems while we focus on securing and restoring services safely. These systems will remain offline until we have a better understanding of the situation.
"City and emergency services including those in the Department of Public Safety (911, Police, Fire, and EMS), the Department of Port Control (Cleveland Hopkins and Burke Lakefront Airports), Department of Public Utilities (Water, Water Pollution Control, and Cleveland Public Power) are not affected. While City systems remain offline, all daytime 311 calls will be handled by after-hours operators.
"All internal systems and software platforms will be shut down until further notice. City Hall and Erieview will be closed on Monday, June 10 except for essential staff and normal business will not be conducted with the public.
"We take cyberthreats extremely seriously and are working expeditiously to rectify the situation as soon as possible.
"There is no further information available at this time. We will provide updates as they become available."