CHICKASAW COUNTY, Miss. (WTVA) -- Whoever said lightning doesn't strike the same place twice didn't consider the 911 system in Chickasaw County.
Lightning struck the system Sunday, for the second time in three weeks.
Leaders are now looking at the construction of the regional jail to see if it is connected.
Chickasaw County Chief Deputy James Meyers said Sunday's lighting strike knocked out the the internet and the phone system.
"It has got our office phones completely messed up. 911 was messed up for just a brief time but we got it back running. However, if you call our office number, and you don't get us the first time try again because that's where we are having our problems," Meyers said.
This is the second lighting strike in three weeks. Meyers said the first strike went through the radio system itself and Sunday's strike came through the phone lines.
"I was here the first time it happened. We heard the lightning. We heard the big loud noise. Same thing happened Sunday night when the lightning struck. When the computers went down, smoke came out of one of the outlets on the wall," Meyers said.
Meyers said the department has never had any problems with lightning until the recent construction of the regional jail.
"We don't know if it is because there is more area that lightning can strike or what the problem is. Right now we got the engineers telling us now they are checking everything from phone lines to our radios to make sure we are grounded properly and surge protectors are on everything," Meyers added.
In the meantime, G and H Telephone installed a temporary switch to get the phones working until a new switch is available.
