Consumers Energy said they are making an all-out effort to restore power to thousands of homes and businesses across Michigan as they prepare for another day of severe weather.
More than 800 crews are actively working to restore electricity in ice-coated areas of Northern Michigan and in southern Michigan communities that suffered heavy damage from strong thunderstorms on Sunday, March 30.
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The crews include lineworkers from Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois, who will continue their efforts at least through Wednesday’s (April 2) expected storms.
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Consumers Energy said they’ve successfully restored power to three-quarters of the 270,000 customers affected by last weekend’s storms.
In addition to power restoration efforts, the company said they’ve also provided over 420 meals to residents in Gaylord, one of several Northern Michigan communities impacted by up to an inch of ice that brought down trees and electrical equipment.
Consumers Energy said they are collaborating with Metro Detroit leaders and emergency officials to assist the hardest-hit communities in their recovery.
The company urges the public to keep important safety tips in mind during this time:
- 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 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.
