Michigan Residents Left Without Power After Winter Storm; Restoration Work by Sunday/Monday
Hundreds of thousands of Michigan residents were left without electricity on Thursday after a winter storm rocked metro Detroit and much of the state.[0] The storm, which included ice and snow, caused thunder and downed thousands of ice-coated power lines, resulting in power outages across central and southern portions of the state.[1] According to the Consumers Energy online outage map, at 6:30 p.m. there remained 846 customers without power in the counties of Clinton, Eaton, and Ingham.
DTE Energy reported 461,376 outages on the east side of the state.[2] Statewide, about 149,100 Consumers Energy customers remained without electric service on Friday evening. Consumers said it had already restored power to 90,000 affected customers and expected most of the remaining outages to be fixed by Sunday, with all restoration work likely to be finished by late Monday.[3] DTE said it expected to have power restored to 95% of its customers by Sunday night.
Utility crews have been working around the clock to restore power to hundreds of thousands of customers in Michigan.[4] Kalamazoo County has declared a state of emergency and opened a warming shelter.[5] It was predicted that the majority of customers would be reconnected to electricity by Sunday.[6] DTE has stated that it anticipates restoring power to the majority of its service areas by Sunday. At 3[7] On Thursday, DTE reported that 21,341 customers in Monroe County were without power.[7] On Thursday afternoon, 1,686 customers in the county were without power, according to the Consumers report.
Utility companies stated that electricity should be back up and running for most people by Sunday, while some might have to wait until Monday. All power should be restored by Saturday evening, though some homes in areas where there was heavy damage from the storms may need to wait longer than that. Consumers expressed their hope that power will be restored by Sunday evening, but they may need to extend restoration efforts into Monday.
DTE has called upon 3,210 workers, along with assistance from other states, to assist in the restoration of power.[8] It is anticipated that 95% of customers will be supplied with power by Sunday.[9] Milder weekend temperatures are expected to come back up into the 30s Saturday and 40s on Sunday, reducing the risk for more outages.[10]
Residents and businesses still without power are urged to seek out warming centers and check DTE and Consumers Energy’s outage maps for updates on restoration times.
0. “In some southern, central areas of Michigan, 50% or more customers hit by outages” Detroit News, 23 Feb. 2023, https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2023/02/23/in-some-southern-central-areas-of-michigan-50-or-more-customers-hit-by-outages/69938132007
1. “95% Of Power Restored, 5K Still Without Power In McHenry Co.: Comed” Crystal Lake, IL Patch, 24 Feb. 2023, https://patch.com/illinois/crystallake/95-power-restored-5k-still-without-power-mchenry-co-comed
2. “Nearly 640K without power in Michigan after ice storm” MLive.com, 24 Feb. 2023, https://www.mlive.com/news/2023/02/nearly-640k-without-power-in-michigan-after-ice-storm.html
3. “Power outages remain, but crews make progress in Great Lansing area” Lansing State Journal, 24 Feb. 2023, https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/2023/02/24/ice-storm-power-outages-remain-but-crews-make-progress-in-great-lansing-area/69940714007
4. “700,000 Michigan power outages likely to be fixed by Sunday” Detroit Free Press, 23 Feb. 2023, https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2023/02/24/michigan-power-outages-utilities/69939074007/
5. “‘This is bad': Power outages extend into weekend” WOODTV.com, 24 Feb. 2023, https://www.woodtv.com/news/kalamazoo-county/this-is-bad-power-outages-extend-into-weekend
6. “More than 600,000 remain without power in Michigan” Crain's Detroit Business, 24 Feb. 2023, https://www.crainsdetroit.com/energy/more-600000-remain-without-power-michigan
7. “Thousands remain without power in Monroe County after ice storm” Monroe Evening News, 22 Feb. 2023, https://www.monroenews.com/story/weather/severe/2023/02/23/thousands-remain-without-power-in-monroe-county/69935185007/
8. “How residents without power are dealing with the cold” WXYZ 7 Action News Detroit, 24 Feb. 2023, https://www.wxyz.com/news/how-residents-without-power-are-dealing-with-the-cold
9. “Michigan power outages: Thousands could remain without service for days” Bridge Michigan, 3 Feb. 2023, https://www.bridgemi.com/quality-life/michigan-power-outages-thousands-could-remain-without-service-days
10. “Where DTE is prioritizing power restoration • Car crash victim fighting insurance company • Wings playoffs” FOX 2 Detroit, 24 Feb. 2023, https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/where-dte-is-prioritizing-power-restoration-car-crash-victim-fighting-insurance-company-wings-playoffs
