Additional crews from outside Michigan are bolstering Consumers Energy’s efforts to restore power to more than 150,000 customers affected by severe storms and high winds that hit early Friday.
As of 5 a.m. Saturday, approximately 96,000 customers remained without power, down from 156,000 customers affected by several rounds of storms which brought down more than 2,000 wires across the state. Most of the Jackson area has had power restored, several pockets of a few dozen customers remain without power.
The majority of customers without electric service should have power restored by 11:30 p.m. on Sunday. In some of the hardest areas, including the city of Grand Rapids and surrounding Kent County municipalities, restoration work will continue into Monday.
“Today, more than 200 additional workers from outside Michigan will be in place and working to restore power as quickly and safely as possible,” said Guy Packard, vice president of electric operations. “We appreciate our customers’ continued patience as we work around the clock to get everyone restored.”
The additional personnel, who began arriving Friday night, are part of a Great Lakes mutual assistance agreement Consumers Energy has with neighboring utilities. They will work alongside Consumers Energy and contractor crews already in place.
From customer service representatives, damage assessors and lineworkers, more than 1,700 men and women are engaged in the restoration effort.
The hardest hit areas include Barry, Eaton, Kent and Ottawa counties. To view specific counties and regions most affected by electric interruptions, please visit ConsumersEnergy.com/OutageMap.
The public’s safety is paramount as restoration work continues. Consumers Energy reminds everyone:
· Stay at least 25 feet away from downed power lines. Call 911 and Consumers Energy at 800-477-5050 to report downed wires.
· Operating a generator may produce hazardous levels of carbon monoxide, an odorless, colorless and deadly gas. Never use a generator in an attached garage, basement or near any air intakes, and never fuel a generator when it is running.
· Be alert to crews working along roads and “slow down and go around.” Drivers should slow down or stop and wait for oncoming traffic to clear then safely pass workers on roadsides.
· Customers can sign up to get outage alerts and restoration times sent to a phone, email or text message, Text ‘REG’ to 232273 or visit ConsumersEnergy.com/alerts.
· Customers can also report an outage, check the status of an outage and get useful tips on what to do before, during and after a storm by visiting ConsumersEnergy.com/OutageCenter.
· In some cases, the mast which holds the electric service wires to a customer’s 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.
