GRAND HAVEN BLP LINECREW CONTINUE WORKING TO RESTORE POWER IN PETOSKEY
GRAND HAVEN, MICH., April 7, 2025 – The Grand Haven Board of Light & Power (BLP) deployed a line crew last Sunday to respond to requests from the City of Petoskey for mutual aid in the aftermath of the ice storm that caused severe damage in Northern Michigan. The BLP line crew joins other Michigan municipal electric line crews across the state that are working through exceedingly difficult weather conditions to support the communities that have been without power for the week.
Rob Shelley, BLP general manager, commented, “The ice storm is one of the most destructive events that this area has ever encountered. Providing mutual aid is a critical component that all utilities rely on to ensure the safety of the communities we serve. The BLP is no stranger to helping other communities deal with extreme outage situations from storms. Our thoughts and prayers are with the multiple communities without power in Northern Michigan and we are proud to send our BLP linemen to assist in the recovery efforts.”
Mutual aid is an emergency response arrangement in which utilities both receive and give assistance for power restoration following a disaster. When an electric system is damaged beyond the capabilities of the local electric utility, a call for assistance from other utilities is requested. The requesting utility specifies the best estimate of skilled utility workers, equipment, and materials it needs. Other utilities not affected by the damage then respond with what they can offer.
“When the call came in requesting assistance, three of our dedicated linemen (Alex, Kevin, and Trent) immediately jumped into action and deployed last weekend. They are still up there working in difficult and frigid conditions. Our crew has been forwarding us pictures that we have been posting to our Facebook page. I have not seen this level of ice accumulation on power lines in my 25 years working in this industry,” explained Shelley. “These men are extremely dependable and will help see those communities through this devastating event and we thank them for their willingness to assist the residents of Petoskey who have gone without power for multiple days during very cold temperatures.”
Once the BLP’s assistance is no longer needed in Petoskey, the line crew will move to the Presque Isle Gas and Electric system to assist with recovery efforts.
