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Severe weather leaves thousands without power in Kalamazoo, Van Buren counties

Nearly 80 mph wind gusts were recorded in Kalamazoo, and a fire department in Gobles reported a spin-up tornado, although that has yet to be confirmed.

VAN BUREN COUNTY, Mich. — Severe weather swept across areas of West Michigan Sunday night, causing power outages and damage in Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties.

The storms rolled through just before 10 p.m., dropping several inches of heavy rain on portions of the region. This has caused flooding in some streets and downed trees, according to a 13 ON YOUR SIDE crew in Van Buren County. There have also been reports of flooding in Kalamazoo County. Because of this, the National Weather Service has issued a flood advisory for Kalamazoo County.

Strong winds were also reported. A 76 mph wind gust was recorded at the Kalamazoo Airport, and a fire department in Gobles even reported seeing a spin-up tornado, although that has yet to be confirmed by the National Weather Service. Officials are expected to survey the area Monday.

Thousands are now waking up Monday without power—about 20,000 in Kalamazoo County and 1,000 in Van Buren County, according to Consumers Energy. 

While some of these outages are anticipated to be fixed by the end of the day Monday, some will take longer. This comes as West Michigan sees the first heat wave of the year. Temperatures are expected to remain in the 90s with high humidity levels this week.

Consumers Energy released the following tips to keep in mind as crews work to restore power:

  • 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 to 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.

You can see outages and estimated restoration times in real-time on the Consumers Energy outage map here.

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