How the tech outage is impacting Northeast Ohio

CLEVELAND — A massive tech outage is causing disruptions across the world, including right here in Northeast Ohio.

The crowd inside Cleveland Hopkins International Airport isn’t as busy as News 5 saw Friday morning.

But some travelers said they're still having issues.

“They said it’s not going to be until Sunday, so I guess I’ll be camping out here,” said Leo Ramsundar.

It’s been a whirlwind of a day for travelers like Ramsundar.

“You put your trust in these airlines, and you expect them to do all they can do, and they don’t do anything for you,” said Ramsundar.

Ramsundar told News 5 that he came for just a quick trip to celebrate his mom’s 75th birthday.

But, he said his time in The Land has been extended, so he’s going to make the best of it.

“I’m going to go explore Cleveland, go shopping, that’s what I’m going to do with it,” said Ramsundar.

Meanwhile, Amy Schloss Yates said she’s happy to be home after 36 hours of traveling.

“They came out and told us there was some big outage,” said Schloss Yates.

That outage Schloss Yates is referring to has now been linked to Cybersecurity Firm CrowdStrike.

The company's CEO said the outage was not due to a security incident.

But it did cause massive disruptions across the world on Friday, impacting flights, banks and other major institutions like a Maryland-based Whole Foods, where on News 5 viewer said she works.

"When we're not able to order for a day, then, yeah, I mean, it definitely affects the store and what's in stock and what, you know, is actually available to customers,” said Marcia Riemenschneider.

As Riemenschneider and others process their next steps, Schloss Yates told News 5 she’s pleased with how customer service has handled the situation.

“I did have a good experience, and everyone helped me the best they could, and they were very good at keep us up-to-date on what was going on,” said Schloss Yates.

Unfortunately, Amy’s bags didn’t make the trip home but she’s still smiling because she’s back here in Cleveland.

Here's a list of how the outages could impact you.

Hotels

Staffers told News 5's Mike Holden that all IHG and Hilton Hotel systems have gone down.

They cannot operate their system because it’s internet-based.

They are manually checking out customers.

IT is attempting to restore remotely.

Businesses are reportedly cash-only due to POS systems being down.

Hopkins Airport

Massive lines have formed at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport due to the system outage.

Multiple airlines are reporting delays due to the outage.

Frontier Airlines issued the following statement:

"We were impacted by a major technical outage beginning on Thursday, July 18. The outage, which has affected multiple organizations, caused us to initiate a temporary ground stop, which was subsequently lifted last night. We continue to work toward the resumption of normal operations."

Southwest Airlines said the following:

"The outage did not directly affect our operations, but we encourage customers to check their flight status throughout the day while the overall aviation system continues to recover."

News 5 Reporter Nadeen Abusada was at Cleveland Hopkins Friday morning and saw numerous delayed flights.

Cleveland Clinic

Some technology used by Cleveland Clinic is currently impacted.

Patient care is not affected, and they are continuing to provide care at all locations.

City of Cleveland

"The City has been looking into this issue since becoming aware of the outage and has not found any effect to external City operations that impact public-facing services at this time.

The only internal impact we know of at this time is related to our timekeeping system. We have been in constant contact with the vendor who has indicated that they are working towards a solution, but that it may take some time as they are helping all of their clients across the nation since this is a global issue. We hope the issue will be fixed soon, but the promptness of resolving it falls on the vendor, not the City. If it is not resolved by next week we will communicate next steps with employees to ensure they are paid."

City of Akron

The outage has impacted some city devices and servers, although the core city services were not disrupted.

Some city services may be slightly delayed this morning, including 311 website access, Utilities Business Office, Income Tax, and city golf courses.

Ohio Turnpike

The Turnpike is having trouble with its EZ Pass website and is hoping to resolve the issue quickly.

BMV

The Bureau of Motor Vehicles, also known as the BMV, was impacted by the global outage; many residents were turned away because their systems were down.

"Due to a global network outage impacting services worldwide, some BMV may or not be available, and we are working to restore services as quickly as possible," the BMV said in a statement.

A sign outside the BMV locations reads, "All BMV locations are closed due to technical issues."

Many residents went to the BMV to get new tags or pay a ticket but could not. Now, they are concerned about the repercussions they may face.

"I'm scared that I will get pulled over by the police, I can't go anywhere until I get these new tags," said Robyn Green.

Utility bills

In Hudson, the IT outage is impacting its website, which means if you have any utility bills due, you'll have to pay in person.

Cuyahoga County

Cuyahoga County is currently experiencing some disruptions in technology services connected to nationwide outages.

At this time, emergency services, including 911 and the Child Abuse Hotline, remain operable.

Giant Eagle

"Importantly, as noted by CrowdStrike, the vendor at the center of this global issue, this is not a cybersecurity or system integrity issue.

Supermarket and GetGo guests can shop and fuel up in our Giant Eagle, Market District, and GetGo locations and via our online ordering systems as usual.

Some of our pharmacies are experiencing slight delays in prescription fill time. We are working as quickly as possible to resolve this issue and appreciate our guests’ understanding and patience."

Media

Some TV news stations around the country were not able to get on-air. News 5 was an exception, bringing viewers updates all morning long.

What happened?

The outage was linked to cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike.

The company's CEO said the outage was not due to a security incident.

RELATED: Airlines begin to resume service after a massive global IT outage disrupts computer systems

"CrowdStrike is actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts. Mac and Linux hosts are not impacted. This is not a security incident or cyberattack," CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz said. "The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed ... Our team is fully mobilized to ensure the security and stability of CrowdStrike customers."

Has the tech outage impacted you? Email us at newsdesk@wews.com with your story.