Consumers Energy Makes Final Push to Restore Power to Last Michigan Homes and Businesses after Weekend Storm

Jackson, Mich. Sunday, January 14, 2024

Consumers Energy lineworkers and contractors continued their final push Sunday night to help the last of more than 181,000 Michigan homes and businesses that lost power during the weekend’s powerful winter storm.

“We are humbled by the generosity and patience our friends and neighbors display in times like this, and we’re determined to continue working around the clock until we finish restoring power to everyone,” said Melissa Gleespen, one of Consumers Energy’s Officers in Charge of restoration. “Over 500 crews have been working through the weekend, and we’ll be continuing our push through the night to resolve some of the most challenging damage and get the lights back on.”

Though the storm caused damage and outages throughout Michigan, communities throughout northeast Lower Peninsula were hit hardest. Those include Midland, Bay, Iosco, Ogemaw and Alcona counties. To show its support, Consumers Energy provided free meals to residents in and around Iosco County.

On Monday, Consumers Energy will again provide free meals at two locations. A free breakfast will be served at Kimmie’s Pub N Grub in Prescott (Ogemaw County) from 8 to 10:30 a.m. A free lunch will be provided at Pizza Sam’s in Midland from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Customers should continue to check the status of outages at www.ConsumersEnergy.com/OutageCenter. They 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.

Gleespen said Consumers Energy is monitoring this week’s forecast of heavy lake-effect snow for West Michigan, but is confident that weather pattern won’t lead to a significant number of outages. She encouraged Michiganders to protect themselves against winter weather and extreme cold by calling 2-1-1, a free resource that connects people with community resources, or finding energy-saving tips at ConsumersEnergy.com/coldweather.

Consumers Energy urges the public to keep important safety tips in mind:

• Be alert to crews working along slick roads. Drivers should slow down or stop and wait for oncoming traffic to clear so they can go safely past workers on roadsides.

• Stay at least 25 feet away from downed power lines, and to report unguarded downed lines by calling 9-1-1 and Consumers Energy at 800-477-5050.
• 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.

Consumers Energy is Michigan’s largest energy provider, providing natural gas and/or electricity to 6.7 million of the state’s 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties.

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Media Contact: Brian Wheeler, 517-740-1545 or brian.wheeler@cmsenergy.com