GAYLORD, Mich. – The Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) announced that it will hold a public forum to review the response efforts following the Northern Michigan ice storm.
The ice storm that happened during the weekend of March 28 to March 30 caused “catastrophic” damage to power grids, "leaving almost all customers without power in a number of counties in Northeast Lower Michigan, including customers of Alpena Power Co., Consumers Energy, Great Lakes Energy, and Presque Isle Electric & Gas Co-op," according to the MPSC.
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Now, the MPSC is inviting the public to a listening session to review the response efforts to the storm.
It will be held on Wednesday, May 21, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Ellison Place at 150 Dale Drive in Gaylord.
Staff will hear information about the response to the storm by local and state authorities, utilities and other agencies from residents.
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The forum will be in-person only.
People with disabilities can request reasonable accommodations to participate by calling the MPSC’s executive secretary at 517-284-8090.
“The storm devastated northern Michigan, leaving businesses and schools closed, roads inaccessible, thousands of power poles snapped and hundreds of miles of power lines down,” said MPSC Chair Dan Scripps. “We were heartened by how northern Michiganders pulled together to ensure their neighbors had access to shelter, safety and meals with the power out, and we want to hear from residents, business owners and others about their thoughts on the response efforts – what went right, what went wrong, and what could have been done better.”