Communications System Up and Running After Lightning Strike

The lights are back on and the phone lines are open at the Franklin County Sheriff’s office  after lightning struck the building during Wednesday night’s severe storms.

 Most of the communications equipment at the Franklin County Sheriff’s office is back up and running but some equipment was totally destroyed by the lightning that struck Wednesday night.

According to Sheriff Stevie Thomas, the Sheriff’s office took a direct lightning hit Wednesday night just before midnight.

By mid-afternoon Thursday, Thomas said most of the communications system at the Sheriff’s office had been restored.  However, the phone lines went down again Thursday evening while Windstream crews continued to make repairs.

Thomas said a number of phones and computers will have to be replaced.

Sheriff’s Capt. Gary Smith said the lightning strike was loud and caused a lot of damage to the computer and phone equipment. Several people were working at the time, and they reported that the strike shook the building.

One dispatcher was on the phone when the lightning hit, and it burned up her phone, Smith added.

Smith said a piece of equipment that served as the control for the phone system at the sheriff’s office was left charred and black after the storm.

Jones Beasley, the county 911/EMA director, said his office, which is about a mile away, was not hit by lightning and never lost power.