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A fallen tree across roadway took down power lines during storms.  Consumers Energy photo. (August 13, 2021 11:47 AM) Consumers Energy has now restored power to more than 200,000 Michigan homes and businesses following this week’s severe weather, and crews today are continuing their around-the-clock work in communities all over the Lower Peninsula. Consumers Energy aims to restore power to another 100,000 customers through midnight Friday. Most homes and businesses should have power by late Saturday night and almost all restoration work completed by the end of the weekend.  As of 11:45 AM today, there are 20,431 Jackson County customers without power.  The company expects that number will lower more significantly today. “These storms hit Michigan hard, but we are working tirelessly to get our customers back up and running,” said Guy Packard, Consumers Energy’s vice president for electric operations. “We are grateful for our customers’ patience and want them to know we’ll keep working until the power is back on for everyone.” Consumers Energy crews are joined by contractors from across Michigan and seven states, including as far away as Missouri, New York and Tennessee. In all, about 370,000 homes and businesses that Consumers Energy serves lost power at…

(August 13, 2021 10:04 AM) The City of Jackson is opening its two recreation centers to residents who do not have power or water following this week’s severe weather. The Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center and the Boos Recreation Center will both be open on Friday, Aug. 13 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The centers are being made available to residents who are without power and need a cool place to spend time. Bottled water will also be provided by Consumers Energy. Because there is a mask requirement for all City facilities, masks and hand sanitizer will be made available to visitors. The City is only planning on having the centers open on Friday, but will update the community if any changes are made. The MLK Center is located at 1107 Adrian St. and the Boos Center is located at 210 Gilbert. St. The Jackson YMCA is opening the locker rooms and showers free of charge to all in the community today through Saturday. Community members will need to complete a waiver and show photo ID; first-time visitors under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.  Consumers Energy will provide a case of water to each…

Jackson area outage map as of 10:25 PM. (August 12, 2021 10:27 PM) Consumers Energy crews plus contractors from Michigan and seven other states are nearing the halfway mark late Thursday in their all-hands-on-deck push to restore power to over 371,000 homes and businesses affected by this week’s severe weather. Over 550 three- and four-person crews remain at work around the clock and will work through the night heading into Friday. Their goal: Restore power to most homes and businesses by late Saturday night and finish almost all of their work by the end of the weekend. As of 9:45 p.m. Thursday, about 187,000 customers remained without power – the result of a storm system over three days that brought down trees, damaged equipment and downed 4,500 wires. “This has been a busy week for our lineworkers and those who have joined us from as far away as New York and Missouri. We’re encouraged to see their progress and plan to keep up the pace to get the lights back on,” said Guy Packard, Consumers Energy’s vice president for electric operations. “We are grateful for the patience of our friends and neighbors, and want them to know we won’t stop…

(UPDATED August 12, 2021 5:52 PM) Consumers Energy crews and contractors along with crews from seven states have restored power to more than 130,000 customers in the wake of three waves of this week’s severe storm system in Michigan that brought down trees, damaged poles, downed 4,500 wires and knocked out service to more than 369,000 electric customers since Tuesday night. “These three days of storm activity ranks among the top 10 storms in our company’s 135-year history,” said Guy Packard, Consumers Energy’s vice president for electric operations. “I could not be more impressed by the patience shown by our customers affected by these damaging waves of storms, and I want them to know we will not stop working extended shifts day and night until our restoration is complete and the lights are back on for every one of our customers.” A majority of 230,000 customers without electric service as of 4 p.m. are expected to be restored by late Saturday night with storm restoration efforts continuing through the weekend. Additional storm activity could extend restoration times. As of 5:50 PM, 22,200 Jackson County customers are without power.  Consumers Energy spokesman Brian Wheeler told JTV News restoration will be continuing…