JACKSON, Mich. — Severe weather and high winds knocked out power to over 190,000 Consumers Energy customers across the state Tuesday.
With nearly half of those customers still without power as of 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, the utility company said that it plans to have most of its customers' power restored by the end of Thursday.
“Our #1 priority is to get the lights back on safely and quickly for the households and businesses who are counting on us,” said Chris Fultz, one of Consumers Energy’s Officers in Charge for restoration. “Our lineworkers have trained for situations like this. We’re bringing in more crews to ensure we meet our commitments to our customers.”
Consumers Energy is hosting two events to hand out free water and ice to residents Wednesday, both beginning at 1 p.m. The two locations are:
- Courtland Township Hall (7450 14 Mile Road NE, Rockford)
- Larkin Township Hall, (3016 N. Jefferson Road, Midland)
“We know this storm created a hardship for many people, especially at the end of a short heat wave,” Fultz said. “We want to help our friends and neighbors, and show our thanks for their patience and grace.”
Consumers Energy is being assisted by contract crews from Michigan as well as crews from Kentucky, Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.
You can check the status of outages at ConsumersEnergy.com/OutageMap and you can also sign up for alerts sent to your phone, email or text by texting "REG" to 232273 or by visiting ConsumersEnergy.com/alerts.
Consumers Energy urges the public to keep important safety tips in mind:
- Be alert to crews working along roadsides. Drivers should slow down or stop and wait for oncoming traffic to clear so they can go safely past.
- Stay at least 25 feet away from downed power lines, and report unguarded downed lines by calling 9-1-1 and Consumers Energy at 800-477-5050. Consumers Energy reminds people that falsely calling in downed lines actually slows down the restoration process for everyone.
- 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. Read more guidance on safe generator use here.
- 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 that holds the electric service wires to a 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.