Michigan Regulators to Hold Public Forum on Northern Michigan Ice Storm Response

In the aftermath of a paralyzing ice storm that ravaged Northern Michigan throughout last week during winter, the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) announced that it will be conducting a public forum to debate response effort and listen to first-hand remarks from those most impacted. The May 21 forum in Gaylord promises to attract area residents, business owners, and utility customers who lost power and had their lives interrupted by the storm.

The public hearing will take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at The Ellison Place, 150 Dale Drive. MPSC commissioners and staff will be on hand to hear the public’s questions, learn about the emergency response process, and discuss the state and local agency, and utility provider roles in crisis management.

A Storm That Shook the Region

Ice storm that hit Eastern Upper Peninsula and Northern Michigan hit the region with a power infrastructure down, killing hundreds of miles of transmission wires, and putting massive portions of the population in the dark for days. It was mainly targeting counties served by Alpena Power Company, Consumers Energy, Great Lakes Energy, and Presque Isle Electric & Gas Cooperative. Apart from that, thousands of consumers in the Eastern U.P., which is supplied by Cloverland Electric Cooperative, were also impacted.

Whole communities were in the dark, and as a result, school closures, business closures, and simple public service closures ensued. Roadblocks stopped traffic, communication was disrupted, and emergency response systems were slowed. In all of these blunders, communities throughout the region rallied to help one another through it—providing shelter, food, and sanctuary to vulnerable citizens in the dark.

An Opportunity for Feedback and Reflection

Dan Scripps, MPSC Chair, emphasized the value of hearing firsthand from those who lived through it. “This storm was one of the worst to hit northern Michigan in years. It disrupted normal life, strained our infrastructure to its limits, and strained our emergency preparedness,” said Scripps. We were so stunned at the way communities came together to help one another, and now we want to witness it from the people who actually experienced it for themselves – what worked, what didn’t, and where we can do better.

This listening session is also leading the Commission’s initiative to hear how utilities and government agencies reacted and to learn ways to better prepare and respond in future storms. Coordination at utility staff level through work restoration rate, the entire incident will be analyzed.

The MPSC views this forum as a wonderful chance, not just for review but also for healing and cooperation. People need to speak out now, and assist in improving the emergency management system.

Participation In Person Encouraged

May 21 will be a session in person only, to provide an opportunity for open, unstructured discussion between commission officials and community members. No remote participation will be permitted, but the Commission is attempting to make the session accessible to anyone who wishes to attend. Individuals with disabilities who need special accommodations are requested to contact the Commission’s Executive Secretary at 517-284-8090 before the session.

This is grass roots outreach designed to make the feedback process as broad and effective as possible. By traveling to the affected area themselves, MPSC officials hope to send one message loudly and clearly: your voice is heard.

Building Resilience Through Lessons Learned

Michigan’s weather has become increasingly unstable, with increased storms in the winter and summer seasons. This is not a place to argue back and forth about the past; this is a place to talk about preparing the state to respond rapidly, effectively, and equitably to whatever in the future happens.

Utility companies throughout the state will be asked hard questions, not just regarding how they handled this crisis, but regarding what steps they are taking to make sure such massive outages don’t happen again in the future. Issues related to preventive maintenance, grid modernization, and emergency customer notification are going to be among the hot-button issues to be addressed at the forum.

In the meantime, the MPSC will also be seeking comments on local coordination of shelters, food, and emergency communications—keystone elements of disaster response that can make or break local communities’ ability to weather these disasters.

A Community-Centered Approach to Emergency Preparedness

The MPSC public hearing in Gaylord represents a golden chance to make a bad experience turn into a good one. By going out to people, the state is taking a good step towards making more responsive, resilient, and community-based emergency systems.

For those who experienced the ice storm, it’s an opportunity to inform them what they went through and how they’d like their public officials to speak for them in the future. And for the community overall, it’s a wake-up call that there needs to be greater coordination among citizens, governments, and utilities to make Michigan safer, more resilient.

If you or someone you know was impacted by the storm and you want your voice heard, mark May 21 on your calendar and come to the listening session in Gaylord.