KENT COUNTY, Mich — Severe storms hit West Michigan Tuesday morning, bringing winds up to 80 mph in some areas.
These thunderstorms caused extensive damage across West Michigan, resulting in many roads being blocked by downed trees and power lines.
The county road commissions for Kent, Ottawa and Muskegon counties have shared how community members can report downed power lines and trees that are blocking roads or causing safety risks.
Downed power lines can be extremely dangerous and should immediately be reported by calling 911 and alerting the dispatch of the location. After calling 911, you may also call Consumers Energy at 800-477-5050.
Kent County
To report a tree blocking the road, call the Kent County Road Commission (KCRC) during their normal business hours of 5:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday at (616) 242-6950. If you need to report a tree outside of those hours or on the weekend, call 911.
KCRC also says that when in doubt, call 911.
Non-urgent issues can be reported online using the "Report an issue" form at KentCountyRoads.net.
Muskegon County
The Emergency Operations Center has been activated in Muskegon County to help manage the storm damage cleanup. As of right now, there is no direct way to report downed trees to the county.
Residents in Muskegon County are being asked to only call 911 if you have a life-threatening injury. Anyone who needs immediate services such as food or temporary housing is asked to dial 211 or call 231-733-1155.
Non-urgent issues can be reported online using the "Self Reporting Survey" form here.
Once the majority of the storm damage is cleaned up, service requests can be submitted by calling (231) 788-2381 or filling out a road maintenance service request form.
Ottawa County
To report a tree blocking a road, call the Ottawa County Road Commission at (616) 842-5400 during their normal business hours of 7 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday and 7 a.m. until 11 a.m. on Fridays. You can also submit a service request online here.
If the downed tree or limb is causing an emergency or is entangled with a downed power line, call 911. The road commission says they do not remove trees that are entangled with downed power lines until after the utility company removes the lines.
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