FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Power Outage Illuminates Strengths, Identifies Goals for Improvements
Contact: San Miguel County Sheriff Bill Masters 970-729-2025
or Public Information Officer Susan Lilly 970-729-2028
February 16, 2016 -- (Telluride, CO) – On behalf of the San Miguel County Sheriff’s Office, Telluride Marshal’s Office, Mountain Village Police, The Town of Telluride, The Town of Mountain Village, San Miguel County Commissioners, Telluride Fire Protection District, and Telski, we thank everyone for their patience, understanding and overall good spirit during the nearly 23-hour power outage this past weekend.
In a debrief meeting Tuesday afternoon, representatives from the above agencies identified measures that will be taken to help maintain public safety, and best obtain and disseminate information to the public, including during times when cell and/or internet service is not available to all.
Plans include but are not limited to:
- Improve communication plan with San Miguel Power and Tristate Power.
- Work with cell carriers to establish more reliable back up signals.
- Identify location(s) in Town of Telluride and Mountain Village where people can gather for information, warmth, power to charge devices.
- Continue to educate the public for emergency preparedness, where to find existing county emergency plans, and how to best stay informed during an emergency incident.
Meantime, we encourage everyone to sign up for CodeRED alerts, “Notify Me” News Flashes from the Sheriff, on Facebook, “like” and follow the San Miguel Sheriff’s Office page, and on Twitter follow @Sheriff Alert to receive important information and updates during emergency incidents (see below for links).
Sheriff Bill Masters said emergency preparedness plans are a priority of the county and its agencies, and this power outage serves as an opportunity to identify areas and take action for improvement. “We want to do everything we can to keep the public safe and informed during emergency incidents, and we are taking meaningful steps to do better.”
To Sign Up for CodeRED alerts:
https://public.coderedweb.com/cne/en-US/BF7ED953CC69
To Sign Up for “Notify Me” News Flashes from the Sheriff:
http://www.sanmiguelcountyco.gov/list.aspx
San Miguel County Emergency Preparedness Information:
http://www.sanmiguelcountyco.gov/174/Emergency-Management
The San Miguel Sheriff’s Office, located in Telluride, Colorado and established in 1883, serves 7,800 residents and countless visitors across the 1,288 square miles of San Miguel County. Sheriff Bill Masters has been serving as the county’s elected Sheriff since 1980.