A day and a half after a fast-moving storm cut off power to hundreds of thousands of people, the state’s two largest power companies still have a lot of work ahead of them.
DTE Energy and Consumers Energy reported 116,142 outages shortly afterward at 8:00 a.m. Thursday.
Shortly before noon, the total number fell to 106,060, including about 71,000 at DTE Energy and 34,000 at Consumers Energy.
DTE Energy expects to resolve 90 percent of the 330,000 power outages that occurred Tuesday night when a widespread storm brought wind gusts of up to 75 mph by Thursday. As of 8 a.m., DTE reported 75,066 power outages.
Consumers Energy still had 41,076 outages, some west of Grand Rapids, west of Lansing and most north of Midland. The utility said it had 500 crews deployed.
“More than 500 crews of line workers from Consumers Energy, contractors from Michigan and nine other states are beginning a final effort this morning to restore power to most homes and businesses affected by Tuesday’s severe thunderstorms,” the company’s power outage map says. “As of 6 a.m., crews have restored lights to more than three-quarters of affected customers. Fewer than 42,000 homes and businesses remain without power.”
The company distributed free ice and water in Midland and Kent counties on Wednesday and is working on similar efforts in Flint, Pinconning and Alger on Thursday.
“We appreciate the dedicated efforts of so many line workers from Michigan and even as far away as Alabama and Arkansas, as well as the willingness of our friends and neighbors to help over the last few days,” said Norm Kapala, one of Consumers Energy’s restoration officials. “We are working as hard and safely as possible to finish the job for the communities we serve today.”
One of the worst-hit locations was Livernois Road in Oakland County’s Rochester Hills, where several power poles were either knocked down or snapped, creating a busy construction site that saw more than 30 trucks and about a half-dozen cranes working Wednesday afternoon.
While northbound Livernois Street was completely closed near Rochester High School on Wednesday, causing traffic congestion in the area, one lane was open Thursday morning and the power poles appeared to have been removed. Additionally, DTE’s outage map shows power has been restored to that area and two nearby areas in downtown Rochester. Further north, power has been restored in downtown Clarkston, but parts of Independence Township appear to be out.
The outages at DTE extend across the entire service area.
On Thursday, temperatures will rise to around 27 degrees Celsius after a morning of 15 degrees Celsius in humid weather, reports accuweather.com. On Friday, temperatures will rise to highs of over 30 degrees Celsius, and another round of stormy weather is expected in the evening.
The storm proved deadly: WXYZ-TV reported Wednesday evening that a man in Detroit was electrocuted when he came into contact with a fallen power line.
Important security information about DTE Energy shares:
– Stay a school bus length – at least 25 feet – away from all power lines and anything they come into contact with. Always assume they are live and dangerous.
– Keep children and pets indoors until our crews have dealt with all downed power lines. Always heed the yellow tape warning that indicates a downed power line is in the area. DO NOT CROSS THE YELLOW TAPE.
-If you have a power outage and have a generator, be careful when using a portable generator. Never use a portable generator inside a home or business. They emit carbon monoxide, which can be fatal. Keep it outside, away from windows and doors, so the fumes cannot enter.
– Cleaning up fallen branches and trees can wait… and remember that fallen cables may be hidden in the debris.
– Customers should immediately report a power outage or fallen cable to DTE using the DTE app or website or by calling 800-477-4747.
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