Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Kevin Lunday told CBS News correspondent Nicole Sganga that several Coast Guard facilities nationwide recently experienced utility shutoffs while crews remained on duty. He cited a power cutoff at Station Channel Islands, California; services cut at Port Huron, Michigan; and loss of natural-gas service at Air Station Barbers Point, Hawaii. Lunday said utilities were restored in those cases but warned outages are increasing and may continue as the Department of Homeland Security shutdown persists.
Lunday emphasized the operational danger: these stations are staffed to respond to emergencies around the clock, and sudden losses of power, water or heat could hinder rapid response. He noted crews ‘launch 24/7, 365’ and said the public reaction would be severe — ‘Furious,’ he replied when asked how Americans would feel.
He warned that repeated utility interruptions are testing crews’ ability to carry out search-and-rescue missions and urged attention to the potential consequences if such outages spread further.