OSSINING, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) – Thousands of Optimum customers were left without cable, internet, and phone service Friday throughout the Tri-state area.

The company reported a widespread outage that included parts of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

UPDATE: Service is starting to come back online. Thank you again for your patience as our technical teams work towards full restoration. — Optimum Help (@OptimumHelp) September 7, 2019

We are aware of a service issue impacting some customers in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Our technical teams are working to restore service as soon as possible. Thanks for your patience. — Optimum Help (@OptimumHelp) September 7, 2019

Optimum’s outage map captured the extent of the problem Friday night – leaving customers in New York City, Long Island, Westchester County, and throughout Connecticut without online access.

Many police departments are sending text alerts to residents, keeping them up to speed on the outages.

CABLE/INTERNET/PHONE OUTAGES: Optimum customers reporting outage in our area. Some residents also report issues w/ cell service providers. Contact your service providers for info. @FPDCT does not have info related to service restoration & does not handle outage notifications. — Fairfield Police, CT (@FPDCT) September 7, 2019

Although life without a phone and internet may be unimaginable to some, authorities say affected customers have been calling without a “real” crisis.

Ossining police posted on Facebook “please don’t tie up our lines to ask when your TV will come back on. We need those free for actual emergencies.”

Police added some suggestions on how to pass the time including reading, baking, or possibly a fun game of Uno.

Many residents in the Tri-state area were still finding other things to do this weekend as service was still out in many areas Saturday night. Optimum blamed the widespread weekend outage on a power failure.

We apologize to those impacted by our service outage last night, which was caused by a power failure. Our teams worked tirelessly to restore service. We know it was a frustrating experience for you and we appreciate your patience during that time. Thanks for being a customer. — Optimum Help (@OptimumHelp) September 7, 2019

As of 8 p.m. on Saturday, people in the five boroughs, New Jersey, and Connecticut were still reporting no internet or cable service.