–A lightning strike caused the power outage that impacted over 600 customers of Algona Municipal Utilities Monday afternoon.
AMU General Manager John Bilsten tells KLGA News that lightning struck a pole south of Algona around 3:13 PM Monday, bringing down two wires and causing a fault that opened a feeder breaker at an AMU substation.
A total of 633 customers were impacted by the outage, with AMU crews restoring power to nearly half of that total within 20 minutes. Power was fully restored to the remaining customers around 6:10 PM, as heavy rain in the area slowed progress.
AMU says the strike and resulting outage damaged several customers modems, routers, and other service equipment. Affected modems were replaced overnight and into this (Tuesday) morning.
Any AMU customer who continues to experience issues with internet, TV, or phone service is encouraged to call AMU at 515-295-3584 and speak with a customer service representative.
