The city’s revamped 911 computer system crashed Wednesday afternoon, suddenly shutting down hundreds of screens and forcing phone operators to scribble emergencies on slips of paper to be run to dispatchers, according to a published report.

The emergency response system crashed for 12 minutes beginning at about 4:20 p.m., though sources familiar with the problem told the Daily News dispatchers experienced extensive delays for hours before the crash.

When the system shut down, computers at the main call center in Brooklyn shut down, along with satellite terminals in other rooms where dispatchers listen to police and EMS radios and determine where to send emergency responders, the News said.

One longtime NYPD phone operator described the ensuing chaos as “pandemonium.”

The operator told the News there weren’t enough runners to move all the paper slips for the calls that came through.

Chief NYPD spokesman Paul Browne confirmed to the News that paper slips were used as a back-up after the new $73 million computer system crashed, but he didn’t believe any calls went unanswered.

(Source: NBC New York)