The Houghton County Sheriff’s Office reported early on the morning of Tuesday, Oct. 24, that severe weather conditions had disrupted Regional Dispatch Service, meaning that calls to emergency services via 9-1-1 were not able to be received.
The public was instructed to contact emergency services by calling the Houghton County Sheriff’s Office instead.
A follow-up statement released later that day said that “the problem has been temporarily resolved,” but that “intermittent outages may still occur due to the weather and high winds,” and the public was again instructed to contact the Houghton County Sheriff’s office in an event that emergency services could not be reached by calling 9-1-1.
A release by the Upper Peninsula Power Company stated that thousands of homes in the Western U.P. had also lost power.
The Lode is not aware whether the releases were made in response to interrupted calls, or whether the releases were made prior to the disrupted services posing a problem.
Heavy rain and high winds turning to snow are expected to continue throughout the week and into next week, potentially putting further strain on power and communication infrastructure.
In the event that emergency services are required during a period of severe weather, continue calling 9-1-1, but if Regional Dispatch Services are not operational contact the Houghton County Sheriff’s Office by calling (906)482-0055.
