Consumers Energy said crews have been working overnight to restore power for residents following the ice storm and severe thunderstorms that swept through Michigan on Sunday.
Over 600 crews from Indiana, Ohio and Illinois have been helping restore power, according to Consumers Energy.
Recommended Videos
The company said the majority of northern Michigan’s power is set to be restored by Tuesday, April 1, and the hardest hit areas by Wednesday.
“We understand how frustrating it is to be without power and we thank customers for their patience as our crews continue working around the clock to get the power restored. Crews from four states joined with our Consumers Energy crews as they encountered uprooted trees, down lines and broken poles,” said Chris Fultz, one of Consumers Energy’s officers in charge of this storm response.
Check Consumers Energy’s outage map for updates.
“The ice storm and severe thunderstorms felt across our state was damaging but crews were able to be out in the field responding to outages. Overall, we have restored power to 75,000 customers over the last two days.” Fultz said. “We encourage anyone who needs to travel to please keep our co-workers and their safety top of mind.”
Consumers Energy provided the following tips to stay safe:
- Be alert to crews working along the roads. Drivers should slow down or stop and wait for oncoming traffic to clear so they can go safely past workers on roadsides.
- 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.
- 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.
