Over 400K Michigan Residents Without Power Following Ice Storm
As of Friday evening, nearly half a million customers in Michigan remained without power, three days after one of the worst ice storms in decades knocked out utility poles and wires in the southeast of the state. Hundreds of thousands of residents were left without electricity in the wake of the storm, which brought down trees and froze power lines.
DTE Energy said it expects to restore power to 95% of its customers by Sunday.[0] Consumers Energy is also working to restore power, with 93% of customers having their power restored as of Friday. Consumers Energy hopes to have power restored to all customers by late Monday.
Michigan power outages: Thousands could remain without service for days.[1] Over 416,000 Consumers Energy customers remain without heat or electricity as of Saturday, following statewide power outages amidst Wednesday's ice storm. Approximately seven hundred thousand inhabitants were left without electricity when the storm uprooted trees and caused power lines to become encased in ice.
DTE Energy had 346,000 customers without power on Friday. Consumers Energy reported 126,000 customers without power Saturday morning, down from Friday when outage totals began at 175,000 and ended under 140,000.[2] DTE reported 290,000 customers remaining without power as of Saturday morning.
If you see any downed wires, you’re asked to call Consumers Energy at 800-477-5050 and to report a downed wire to DTE Energy call (800) 477-4747.[3] Consumers Energy has over 500 crews along with help from states like Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Virginia assisting Michigan residents in the restoration efforts.[4]
As temperatures drop and icy precipitation continues to fall, thousands of ComEd customers are without power because of the icy conditions, with more outages expected to pile up. Milder weekend temps are expected to bring temperatures into the mid-40s on Saturday and then the 50s on Sunday.[5]
Residents and businesses in Greater Lansing had fallen to less than 1,100 by Friday evening, down from a peak of more than 7,000. DTE has addressed most of the roughly 3,000 downed wires that were reported to the utility.[6] Consumers Energy has strongly urged people to be vigilant and stay a minimum of 25 feet away from any downed wires and to report them to the police and utilities. This is a serious safety issue.[6]
0. “Ice storm cripples some Livonia schools, services; power outages expected for days” Hometown Life, 24 Feb. 2023, https://www.hometownlife.com/story/news/2023/02/24/ice-storm-cripples-some-livonia-schools-services-power-outages-expected-for-days/69939732007
1. “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
2. “DTE, Consumers: Power restoration continues after MIchigan ice storm” Detroit Free Press, 25 Feb. 2023, https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2023/02/25/dte-consumers-energy-power-outage-restoration-michigan-ice-storm/69943884007/
3. “Jackson official says clean up of downed trees will take weeks” WLNS, 23 Feb. 2023, https://www.wlns.com/news/local-news/jackson-officials-have-no-timetable-for-clean-up-of-downed-trees/
4. “Michigan has far more power outages this week than other Midwest states” Bridge Michigan, 23 Feb. 2023, https://www.bridgemi.com/quality-life/michigan-has-far-more-power-outages-week-other-midwest-states
5. “Power outages after ice storm dropping but could linger into Saturday, ComEd says” Daily Herald, 24 Feb. 2023, https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20230223/power-outages-after-ice-storm-dropping-but-could-linger-into-saturday-comed-says
6. “DTE behind in power restoration; 400K in Michigan remain without electricity” Detroit News, 25 Feb. 2023, https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2023/02/25/dte-power-outage-restoration-consumers-energy-customers-without-electricity/69943600007
