Consumers Energy in Final Stretch of Restoration After Productive Night

(February 27, 2023 7:46 AM)  Consumers Energy has restored power to over 250,000 customers across southern Michigan communities that were blanketed with up to a half-inch of ice. The company is also monitoring another storm that is expected is impact Northern and Mid-Michigan with more ice and freezing rain. They will deploy crews if outages occur.

Since yesterday morning, more than 13,000 additional Jackson County customers were restored;  12,558 Jackson County customers are awaiting restoration as of 7:30 AM today.

“Consumers Energy’s crews worked hard last night to restore power to homes and businesses in the hardest hit communities following the ice storm,” said Norm Kapala, one of Consumers Energy’s officers in charge for the event. “We understand the frustration of customers and are completing a number of remaining outages today in rural areas that suffered massive amounts of damage.”

Over 600 Consumers Energy crews, contractors and lineworkers from outside Michigan are restoring power to homes and businesses affected by the powerful ice storm. Restoration work will be completed by the end of the day today.

Consumers Energy customers can get updates on the continuing restoration work by signing 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. People who don’t sign up for alerts can report and check on the status of outages at www.ConsumersEnergy.com/OutageCenter.

Kapala also encouraged people to be careful while crews continue to work today. In particular, the public should 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.

Consumers Energy urges the public to keep this important information in mind:

·       Watch for downed wires. People should always stay at least 25 feet away from a downed wire, keep children and pets away, and report the issue by calling 9-1-1 and Consumers Energy at 800-477-5050.

·       Call 2-1-1, a free statewide service, if you are looking for help connecting to resources that offer assistance in their community, including warming centers.

·       Never use a generator in an attached garage, basement, enclosed patio or near any air intakes. Doing so could cause a generator to produce hazardous levels of carbon monoxide, an odorless, colorless and deadly gas. Read more guidance on safe generator use here.

·       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 that holds the electric service wires to a 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.