EDITOR:

This past “mild” winter caught us off guard when the heavy-wet snow and winds hit and knocked out power for a large number of people. We were without for a day.

When my wife and I worked for the power utility in Lansing we were accustomed to weather-related outages and saw first-hand the intense response of line crews to restore service. Planning and exercises are common to all utilities and help to insure safe repair practices for workers.

A simple “Thanks” really does express a lot to those folks. They have ours.

The successful deployment of repair personnel is dependent on communication and coordination – this is vital. Those directly impacted by the emergency are also very dependent upon communication for information on the extent and severity of the problem. Updates on restoration assist in calming everyone and especially those most reliant on the utility in question. Not being able to get answers to questions can be frustrating at least and fearful at most.

Those involved in actual response and repair usually have excellent internal communication dedicated to quickly and safely resolving the problem. Informing the public is not a directly immediate responsibility of the “fixers” and down the list from their public information folks. The situation is constantly changing and they’re busy.

I was surprised when I turned on our battery-operated radios and found static on local AM/FM stations. I was informed they do not have back-up generation. Marquette was accessible, but either not effected by or not informed of the situation. I am not aware of any means of obtaining information via cell phone (maybe my ignorance) or other avenues.

Delta County and neighboring counties have emergency management plans based on an “all hazards” approach. These plans should be exercised by appropriate methods and updated on a regular basis.

Flat tires on a car are rare – haven’t changed one in years (hope I remember how) but we still have spares. Emergencies here in the U.P. are also rare (heavy snow is more a way of life than an emergency). When we do experience something we cannot handle by ourselves, or with the help of a few neighbors, we become dependent on information from the outside. We need reliable and accurate communication.

I have great appreciation for those who accept the risks associated with responding/repairing during an emergency, but we need to have the appropriate agencies identified and improve on their ability to provide information to the public on a timely basis.

Can a form of Amber Alerts for emergencies and updates be created? If this already exists, I admit my lack of knowledge and would appreciate being informed. Otherwise, before some State-wide, Nation-wide event occurs (a 9/11 without power) we should create and provide access for reliable communications. My lack of knowledge of current technology may not be held by me alone.

I respectfully request a response to these items to benefit us all.

With sincere appreciation to those in response/repair.

Michael A. Glass

Nahma