ST. CLAIR SHORES, Mich. (WXYZ) — Marguerite Johnston watched the storm move through Grosse Pointe on Tuesday. She said it caused power outages and downed power lines, like the one that sparked right outside her door.
“I was coming down the street and suddenly – boom! A light flashed – it was a transformer over there,” Johnston said.
DTE Energy warns of the danger and says they have received reports of 1,000 downed power lines. They are asking people to stay at least 25 feet away from others. Children and pets in particular should stay indoors.
“We cannot stress enough the dangers that can be posed by the power line breaks caused by this storm,” said Brian Calka, vice president of power distribution for DTE Energy. “Power lines don’t always spark, arc, and make a lot of noise. Power lines that just sit still are just as dangerous as those that present themselves as such.”
Watch DTE Energy’s press conference Tuesday evening in the video below:
DTE Energy provides update after destructive storms in southeast Michigan
The storm also knocked out power to 200,000 homes and caused damage throughout the Detroit metropolitan area, including St. Clair Shores.
“It sounded like lightning, but it wasn’t lightning,” said Evan Couto, who was in his living room when the tree fell. “It just got blown over by the wind. I heard a loud bang and when I came out, this is what I saw… It didn’t hit any houses. The neighbor had a car in the driveway and missed it by a few inches.”
DTE says thousands of crews are working to restore power and that 800 more are coming from across the Midwest to help. Many will arrive late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning.
Current power outage statistics can be found on the DTE website.
