Consumers Energy Continues Effort to Help Customers Affected by Tornado Damage in Southwest Michigan

Portage, Mich. Wednesday, May 08, 2024

Consumers Energy continues working today to restore power to thousands of customers after tornadoes swept through Kalamazoo, Branch and St. Joseph counties Tuesday night, leaving debris and downed wires in their wake. Crews are expected to restore power for most residents in those counties by the end of today.

Consumers Energy has established a Mobile Command Center in Kalamazoo, and more than 175 crews are working around the clock, in 16-hour shifts, to bring power back as quickly and safely as possible.

“We share the frustration of our customers in Branch, St. Joseph and Kalamazoo counties who endured a devastating storm, and we’re committed to restoring their power as quickly and safely as possible,” said Norm Kapala, one of Consumers Energy’s Officers in Charge for restoration. “Damage caused by last night’s devastating storms was significant, which makes restoration more complex. We expect most customers will see their power restored by the end of today.”

Tuesday’s storms initially left more than 30,000 customers without power, about one third of which are now restored. The damage included portions of Consumers Energy’s natural gas system in the Kalamazoo area, and the company is working with local emergency responders to make repairs and safely restore gas service.

“Our crews train for these conditions, and they’re ready to help the communities we serve,” Kapala said.

Customers can 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.

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

• Be alert to crews working along 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. Consumers Energy reminds people that falsely calling in downed lines actually slows down the restoration process for everyone.

• 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, cleanup 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 6.8 million of the state’s 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties.

###

Media Contact: Katie Carey, 517-740-1739, or katelyn.carey@cmsenergy.com