Michigan ice storm: Death threats made against utility workers
PRESQUE ISLE COUNTY, Mich. (FOX 2) - A sheriff in northern Michigan says utility workers and electric companies are being threatened as they work to restore power after last week's devastating ice storm.
Presque Isle County Sheriff Joe Brewbaker posted a video on Facebook on Thursday, comparing last week's ice storm that knocked out power to thousands of people was similar to a category five hurricane.
"No one could have prevented us from the amount of devastation that hit our area. Please understand that everyone involved is doing their very best to get people's power back, utilities back, and to help them. We understand that now there's threats being made toward the utility companies or the lineman – whether that be online or in person – all the way up to death threats for some people's power not being on," he said.
Trees stripped in Northern Michigan ice storm
An ice storm at the end of March stripped the limbs and branches of thousands of trees while taking power to homes and businesses throughout northern Michigan.
Brewbaker is warning against such threats – saying there could be criminal charges filed against anyone making threats.
Power was restored to most people by Thursday, April 10, but outages still remain in isolated areas. Great Lakes Energy (GLE) and Presque Isle Electric & Gas Co-Op (PIE&G), expect to have most back online by Monday, April 14.
There are still 19,489 outages that need to be repaired. At its highest, there were over 63,000 people without power across 15 different counties.
Why it's taking so long to get power back in Northern Michigan
According to Michigan's Electric Cooperative Association (MECA), which represents the electric companies that serve many communities in northern Michigan 93% of GLE customers are back online and 72% of PIE&G are online.
EGLE replaced almost 1,800 poles, restored 3,410 line miles and coordinated with over 1,200 line workers and 250 tree workers.
PIE&G replaced over 1,140 broken poles, restored over 1,200 miles of line, and coordinated with 360 crews to restore power.
A state of emergency was declared by Governor Gretchen Whitmer last week after the historic ice storm on March 31. The ice storm toppled trees, took down wires, and made for dangerous driving conditions.
Thousands of linemen have been stationed at Camp Grayling as they worked to restore power to homes and businesses in ten counties in northern Michigan: Otsego, Oscoda, Montmorency, Presque Isle, Emmet, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Crawford, Mackinac and Alpena.
Brewbaker said he spoke with companies and said they're waiting on supplies to fix the problems.
"It's been very hard to get as many parts and poles and wire as needed for the amount of devastation that hit our county of Presque Isle," he said.
Photo credit: MSP 7th District on X
Brewbaker said everyone is doing their best to get electricity and utilities back – while thanking everyone has been helping including the American Red Cross, National Guard, and emergency responders.
"We cannot do this without you and we all need to work together. We're going to get through this and people's power is going to come back on and we're going to get stronger for it," Brewbaker said.
The backstory:
The ice storm that moved through the area over the last weekend of March, and stripped and toppled trees, took down wires, and made for dangerous driving conditions.
Tens of thousands of people were without power in the aftermath of the storm – and workers have been rushing to get electricity restored.
In the wake of the storm, more than 800 members of the Michigan National Guard were deployed to help.
The Michigan National Guard was activated in support of civil authorities to assist with debris removal and the delivery of essential services across Northern Michigan. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Brayden Stephan)
"Our Soldiers and Airmen live and serve in the communities that are impacted by this ice storm and we are committed to helping our neighbors overcome this historic storm," said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Paul D. Rogers, adjutant general and director of the Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. "We are working alongside our local and state agency partners to help clear roadways overcome by debris and supporting delivery of pallets of food to areas in need."
Residents in need of help or resources are asked to contact Michigan 211 at https://mi211.org/ or by dialing 211 or 844-875-9211.
Dig deeper:
Several Michigan State Parks are closed indefinitely due to historic ice storm.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources closed all state-managed trails across a dozen different counties in both peninsulas while the governor declared an emergency for the region to assist in the aftermath.
In addition to downed trees, blocked roads, and power outages, debris was left strewn across state parks and trails.
Anyone hoping to hike in any of the parks is asked to avoid the areas while clean-up continues.
The Source: Sheriff Joe Brewbaker posted the video on the county's Facebook page. Details from previous reporting from FOX 2 were used in this story.