Power Outages Plague Island

Since the summer season began in May, the Island has been plagued with numerous power outages. Most have been caused by animals getting into electrical equipment and blowing the circuit.

On Wednesday, July 20, the power went out at approximately 3 a.m. and went back on again at 5 a.m.

According to Craig Davidson, St. Ignace division manager of Edison Sault Electric Company, the problem was caused by a raccoon that got into some of the electrical equipment behind Mission Point Resort. Although Edison Sault has wildlife protectors on most of their electrical equipment, Mr. Davidson said that “It’s hard to stop an animal that size.”

Areas affected by the outage were Harrisonville, West Bluff, Fort Mackinac, East Bluff, and Mission Point.

The power went out again on Sunday, July 24, at 8:30 p.m. and was restored at 9:30 p.m. Mr. Davidson said that the outage was caused by a bird that got into some of the electrical equipment in Harrisonville. Again, areas affected by the outage were Harrisonville, West Bluff, Fort Mackinac, East Bluff, and Mission Point.

Mr. Davidson urged Island residents to make sure that they have electrical equipment connected to surge protectors to reduce the risk of damage done to appliances when the power comes back on.