The state’s two largest electricity providers started the Thursday with significant work to do a after a fast-moving storm system knocked power out for hundreds of thousands of people in the state.
DTE Energy and Consumers Energy showed 116,142 outages shortly at 8 a.m. Thursday.
Shortly after noon, the total was down to 102,033, with about 69,000 with DTE Energy and 32,000 with Consumers Energy.
By 6 p.m., the number had been nearly halved from the morning, reduced to 60,760 — down to 42,995 for DTE Energy which covers southeast Michigan and down to 17,765 for Consumers Energy, which covers western and northern parts of the state.
DTE Energy said expected to have 90 percent of the 330,000 outages that occurred Tuesday evening when a widespread storm system brought wind gusts as high as 75 mph restored by the end of Thursday.
Midday, DTE Energy reported that 81 percent of the customers who lost power had been restored by late Thursday morning, and the company still anticipated 90 percent recovery by the end of the day.
“We have an unprecedented number of line workers in the field making repairs — thousands of DTE employees as well as 1,500 line workers from as far away as New York, North Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee,” said Brian Calka, vice president, Distribution Operations. “We’ve brought in more crews than ever before to support restoration because we know how important it is to safely and quickly bring the lights back on for our customers.”
Consumers Energy had to repair significant damage in areas west of Grand Rapids, west of Lansing, and the majority north of Midland. The utility said it has 500 crews working.
“Over 500 crews of lineworkers from Consumers Energy, Michigan contractors and nine other states are starting their final push this morning to restore power today to most homes and businesses affected by Tuesday’s strong thunderstorms,” the company said on its outage map. “As of 6 a.m., crews have turned the lights back on for more than three quarters of affected customers. Less than 42,000 homes and businesses remain without power.”
The company handed out free ice and water in Midland and Kent County on Wednesday and is working on similar efforts on Thursday in Flint, Pinconning, and Alger.
“We appreciate the dedicated effort of so many lineworkers from Michigan and as far away as Alabama and Arkansas, and the grace our friends and neighbors have shown these last couple of days,” said Norm Kapala, one of Consumers Energy’s Officers in Charge for restoration. “We’re working as hard and safely as we can to finish the job today for the communities we serve.”
One of the hardest hit spots was along Livernois Road in Oakland County’s Rochester Hills, where several power poles were either knocked over or snapped, leading to a busy work zone where more than 30 trucks and about a half dozen cranes were be on site Wednesday afternoon.
While northbound Livernois was completely closed near Rochester High School on Wednesday, creating traffic backups in the area, on Thursday morning, one lane of traffic was open and the utility poles appear to have been removed. Also, DTE’s outage map shows power restored to that area and two nearby downtown Rochester. Further north, downtown Clarkston’s services are restored but areas of Independence Township are shown to be out.
DTE’s outages were scattered throughout its coverage area.
On Thursday, after a morning in the 60s, the highs reached about 80 degrees with humid conditions during the afternoon, according to accuweather.com. On Friday, temperatures will rise with highs in the upper 80s, and then another round of stormy weather is expected in the evening.
The storm has proven deadly, as WXYZ-TV reported Wednesday night that a man was electrocuted in Detroit after coming in contact with a downed power line.
Important safety information DTE Energy shares:
– Stay a school bus-length – at least 25 feet – away from all power lines and anything they’re in contact with – always consider them live and dangerous.
– Keep children and pets indoors until our crews can address all downed wires.Always heed the warning of yellow caution tape, which indicates there is a downed power line in the area. DO NOT CROSS YELLOW CAUTION TAPE.
– If you did lose power and have a generator, remember to exercise caution when using a portable generator. Never use a portable generator inside a home or business. It emits carbon monoxide, which can be deadly. Keep it outside, away from windows and doors, so the fumes won’t come in.
– Clean up of fallen branches and trees can wait… and remember that downed wires can be hidden in debris.
– Customers should report a power outage or downed wire to DTE immediately through the DTE app or website, or by calling or 800-477-4747.
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