DAUPHIN COUNTY, Pa. — Update, 10:40 a.m.: As of 8:45 a.m., Dauphin County officials confirmed that full direct power has been restored to Dauphin County Prison.
Staff will continue to monitor and assess that all systems are functioning properly. Dauphin County will maintain one high-capacity generator on site for the next 72 hours in case of emergency or unexpected complications, officials stated.
Officials continued to say that they extend their "heartfelt thanks to everyone who worked diligently to restore power and to all our partners who collaborated on this effort."
Previously: A damaged power line that caused power to Dauphin County Prison to be disrupted last week will be repaired today, according to officials.
The County's outside electrical contractor, G.R. Sponaugle, will begin repairs around 6 a.m. on Aug. 7. The repair requires the prison to be disconnected from the generator that is currently providing full power throughout the facility. As a result, the facility will run on emergency generator power. This outage is expected to last three to four hours as connection is re-established.
During the duration of the outage, the facility will be on lockdown.
Prison staff are preparing for this scheduled outage by planning meals, medical treatment and other needs, officials said. County maintenance staff will also be on hand to provide additional maintenance support.
Dauphin County says it remains committed to the permanent restoration of full power to the prison and to the continued safety of all inmates and staff.
Power was first lost last Friday morning, when a subcontractor—who was not employed by Dauphin County and was working on an unrelated project—inadvertently damaged a power line while digging near the Dauphin County Prison.
The outage affected several County buildings, including the prison, where the AC system failed as a result. Some parts of the prison reached temperatures exceeding 85 degrees.
Officials were able to restore full power to the facility via generators by Aug. 4.
