Northern Michigan sheriff says threats have been made against utility workers trying to restore power
The sheriff of Presque Isle County, Michigan, issued a warning via a social media video Thursday to anyone threatening utility line crews who are trying to restore power in his community.
It's been nearly two weeks since Northern Lower Michigan was hit with an ice storm, breaking utility poles and trees, pulling power lines down, and blocking roads.
And thousands of customers across several counties still have no electricity.
Presque Isle County Sheriff Joseph Brewbaker directly addressed his community with a video update posted Thursday.
"Folks, this storm was compared to a category 5 hurricane. And no one could have prepared us for the amount of devastation that hit our area," he said.
Brewbaker said he has been in contact with utility companies serving the region and learned they are facing challenges with getting supplies, such as the quantity of new poles and wiring that is needed to get the communities back in service.
In the meantime, he said, he learned there have been threats made both online and in person against the utility companies and the line crews who are working to restore those connections.
"We cannot have that. And those could be criminal charges," he said.
"They are doing their very best as fast as they can to get people's power back on."
In response to the ice storm that hit March 28-30, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency for the following counties Otsego, Oscoda, Montmorency, Presque Isle, Emmet, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Crawford, Mackinac, Alcona, Antrim and Alpena.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has ordered several state parks, campgrounds, boating access sites and state-managed trails closed until cleanup and property assessments are complete.
