HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Dauphin County Commissioners confirmed that the Dauphin County Prison (DCP) lost power for four hours on Sunday due to high winds.
According to a press release, Commissioners George Hartwick, III, Justin Douglas and Mike Pries worked with prison leaders, emergency management staff, facilities maintenance staff, other neighboring county prisons, the state Department of Corrections and PPL to ensure prisoner and public safety and quick restoration of power after it was lost at 2:30 p.m.
Commissioners made it clear that temperatures inside the prison remained at a low of 68 and a high of 70 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the outage, which is noted to be close to the average temperature of DCP when power is operating normally, the release stated.
One or two day rooms were reported to be colder than usual, and officials stated that prison staff "responded quickly to assess the cause".
The power was restored in the prison at 6:48 p.m., about four hours after it was lost.
Commissioners further detailed the actions that were taken during the outage:
- DCP began running on backup generators, with an amount of secured fuel that would've lasted for days
- Prisoners were served boxed meals for dinner, which is noted to be standard practice when power is lost. Most appliances in the kitchen are gas-powered, prison leaders stated.
- Several calls were made to PPL to expedite the restoration of power.
- Additional calls were placed to the state Department of Corrections in Cumberland County, Adams County and Franklin County to explore the possibility that they could help transport and house prisoners in the event the outage was prolonged.
- About 500-600 extra blankets were secured.
- Maintenance staff members were stationed onsite at the prison.
- An emergency virtual meeting was held at 6:30 p.m. with the commissioners and staff, EMA officials, prison officials and county maintenance staff to exchange updates and plan the next steps; power to the prison was restored near the end of the meeting.
- A possible declaration of emergency was discussed if the power outage was prolonged, thereby clearing the way for emergency procurement measures as needed. Due to the restoration of power, no declaration was made.
The release continued with the commissioners saying that, at one time, 800 customers were without power in Swatara Township this afternoon, which prompted township officials to activate their Emergency Operations Center to facilitate more rapid response capabilities.
Commissioner Douglas, who has oversight of the prison, urged county staff to plan for all worst-case scenarios. He also noted that the prison has an emergency action plan in place and that all protocols were followed to ensure public safety.
