MACON, Ga. — Crews worked all of Wednesday to repair two of the main communication towers for the Bibb County 911 Communication Center after lightning struck them during a storm Tuesday night.
Macon-Bibb County manager Keith Moffett says Tuesday night's storm left "substantial damage" with wires "fried" and major components of those towers damaged.
Wednesday evening, Southeastern Towers, a company based in Tallahassee, Florida, worked to repair one of the main towers in South Bibb. Josh Mechler, a Florida State University engineering student and part-time technician with Southeastern Towers, climbed the main 600 foot tower to replace and install a key component to the communication tower.
According to Cory Bloodworth, chief information officer for the county IT Department, that tower covers 60 to 75 percent of Bibb County dispatch.
Todd Melcher, president of Southeastern Towers which is the company that worked to repair the damage, said the primary system is now "100 percent operational."
Wednesday evening, Josh Mechler, a Florida State University engineering student and part time technician with Southeastern Towers, climbed the 600 foot tower which covers 60 to 75 percent of Bibb County dispatch. He replaced and installed a key component of the main tower.
Moffett said earlier Wednesday afternoon that their systems were still running. However, it was spotty in some areas of town. In cases where there is spotty service, the county has two back up systems that can step in.
"The computer aid dispatch became our primary way to dispatch, in backing up the radios and the cell phones if we don't receive contact from someone in the field right away," Moffett said.
While repairs were ongoing, it was business as usual in the Bibb County 911 Communication Center on Wednesday. Calls coming in, and operators dispatching first responders.
The damaged towers only affected the center dispatching to first responders. According to county officials, it did not affect your calls coming into the 911 center.
Moffett said Wednesday afternoon they are "more than prepared" going into Thursday's forecasted severe weather.
"Just because we have three systems that do that. One may not be 100 percent but that does not mean our overall capability is degraded," Moffett said.
911 Communication Center Director Shandel Graham says operators have an emergency action plan if a system is damaged or fails.
"We want to assure the citizens of Macon-Bibb County that the calls are still coming in and getting out to our first responders seamlessly on our end," Graham said.
County spokesperson Chris Floore says they have not seen this extent of damage to one of their towers in the last year and a half to two years.