75,000 Consumers Customers Lose Power in Evening Storms

(September 7, 2021 10:00 PM) Consumers Energy crews will be working through the night after waves of storms carrying over 60 mph winds swept across Michigan on Tuesday. Over 75,000 homes and businesses were affected.

“We are grateful for the patience of our neighbors, from Kalamazoo and Battle Creek to Midland and Saginaw, after these storms knocked over trees and damaged poles and equipment,” said Guy Packard, Consumers Energy’s vice president for electric operations. “Our crews and contractors were prepared for this bad weather. They are already starting to restore power and will be working around the clock.”

Storms moved through Michigan, starting in the Traverse City area, starting Tuesday morning and continuing through nightfall. Consumers Energy expects the majority of customers will be restored by Thursday.

In Jackson County, as of 10 PM, approximately 700 customers are affected.  To the west, more than 20,000 customers in Calhoun and Kalamazoo Counties are without power.  The National Weather Service recorded wind gusts of 39 MPH at Reynolds Field, Jackson County Airport during the strongest storms around 8 PM.

DTE Energy is reporting as of 10 PM more than 75,000 of their customers are without power as a result of the storms.

Customers can report an outage and check the status of outage by visiting www.ConsumersEnergy.com/OutageCenter. Customers can also sign up to get outage alerts and restoration times sent to a phone, email or text message, Text ‘REG’ to 232273 or visit www.ConsumersEnergy.com/alerts.

Packard urged people to stay at least 25 feet away from downed power lines, keep children or pets away, and report the issue by calling 9-1-1 and Consumers Energy at 800-477-5050. Consumers Energy asks the public to keep a safe distance from crews.

Consumers Energy also asks the public to keep important safety tips and information in mind:

• Be alert to crews working along roads. Drivers should slow down or stop and wait for oncoming traffic to clear so they safely can go past workers on roadsides.
• Call 2-1-1 if you are looking for help connecting to resources that offer assistance in your community. 2-1-1 is a free statewide service.
• A portable generator should be placed at least 25 feet away from any doors, windows or fresh air intakes. Never operate a generator inside your home, garage, basement or enclosed area. Proper ventilation is critical.
• Consumers Energy will trim or remove trees interfering with electric restoration activities. Once safe to do so, clean-up of debris from tree trimming or removal during a storm emergency is the responsibility of individual property owners.
•  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.