Apr 18, 2013 2 min read

An apparent power surge during Tuesday night’s severe thunderstorms has knocked out the phone system to Washington City Hall for at least two days.

Crews were still working late Thursday afternoon to repair the damage to an electrical system just outside the building that carries Internet and phone service into the building.

Washington Mayor Brenda Davis said they were able to restart Internet service relatively quickly, but were having more trouble with the phone lines that have been “ringing busy” since the storm.

“We’ve been working really hard to replace parts and try to get everything up and running,” Davis said. “We’re plugging away. We were the unfortunate ones in the City of Washington.”

She said Carmella’s Pizza and the Washington Senior Citizens Center had “similar issues” after the storm. However, Carmella’s phones were working Thursday afternoon.

“We’re making progress and putting things back together,” Davis said.

Councilman Matt Staniszewski said the city put together a temporary solution and urged residents to call 724-223-4229 if they need assistance. He added that this phone number is the one line into City Hall and asked that it be used only when absolutely necessary. Residents should still contact 911 in case of an emergency.