With over 285,000 Michigan homes and businesses impacted by power outages Tuesday night, Consumers Energy says they have over 450 crews working overnight to restore power.
While 77,000 people had their power restored after Tuesday's storms, additional storms Wednesday caused more outages, particularly across Ottawa County and southern Kent County.
Currently, the Consumers Energy outage map shows over 40,000 people without power in Kent County and nearly 8,300 in Ottawa County.
Beginning Thursday, crews from seven states, including Ohio, Kentucky and Missouri, will be coming to Michigan to assist in the power restoration effort.
“For Consumers Energy, this is an all-hands-on-deck effort. Our top priority remains to restore power quickly and safely to customers who count on us,” said Guy Packard, Consumers Energy’s vice president for electric operations.
While Consumers Energy officials estimate power will be restored to most customers by Friday evening, they say additional storms throughout the week may extend that time.
Estimated restoration times can be checked on the Consumers Energy power outage map, which will update if changes occur.
As Michiganders assess storm damage, Consumers Energy recommends the following safety tips and guidelines:
- Those clearing storm debris are advised to be aware of possible downed wires and report them to 911 or Consumers Energy at 800-477-5050 immediately while staying at least 25 feet away.
- The company asks the public to keep a safe distance from crews due to health precautions and to allow them to do their work.
- Be alert to crews working along roads. Drivers should slow down or stop and wait for oncoming traffic to clear so they safely can go past workers on roadsides.
- Call 211 if you are looking for help connecting to resources that offer assistance in your community, such as cooling shelters or other needs. 211 is a free statewide service.
- Never use a generator in an attached garage, basement, enclosed patio or near any air intakes. Doing so could cause a generator to produce hazardous levels of carbon monoxide, an odorless, colorless and deadly gas.
- Consumers Energy will trim or remove trees interfering with electric restoration activities. Once safe to do so, clean-up of debris from tree trimming or removal during a storm emergency is the responsibility of individual property owners.
- In some cases, the mast which holds the electric service wires to a customer’s home or business may have been damaged or torn away. Crews will reconnect the wires to a home, but only a licensed electrician can repair or replace a mast or a cable.
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