MASON, Mich. — The Ingham County Sheriff's Office and jail are back to running on full power as of Wednesday afternoon, after running on half power and depending on generators since Monday evening when lightning directly struck the facilities.
Ingham County Sheriff Scott Wriggelsworth wrote in a media release Wednesday morning that it appears the lightning strike caused, "significant damage to the facility's electrical infrastructure," but that they were "working with facilities, Consumers Energy, the Controller's Office, Superior Electric, Ingham County Emergency Management and Michigan State University to try and rectify the situation."
"Safety and security of inmates and staff is being maintained and remains a priority," Wriggelsworth wrote.
According to Consumers Energy, more than 188,000 of its customers lost power during Monday's 70 miles per hour winds with 80 percent now restored.
Consumers Energy Spokesman Josh Paciorek wrote to FOX 47 News, "we expect nearly all customers will be restored by the end of the day today, with crews working overnight and into Thursday in some of the hardest hit areas."
Wriggelsworth said the long-term fix is in process, and will likely take into next week.
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