Consumers Energy Restoring Power to Michigan in Wake of Severe Thunderstorm; Out-of-State Crews to Join Effort
Consumers Energy Restoring Power to Michigan in Wake of Severe Thunderstorm; Out-of-State Crews to Join Effort
Jackson, Mich. Tuesday, June 25, 2024
Consumers Energy launched a large-scale restoration effort today as over 410 crews mobilized to the hardest-hit areas of the state after a severe thunderstorm with damaging winds swept across Michigan this morning. Crews from Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, Ohio and Illinois will also be pitching in to get the power back on safely and as quickly as possible.
“The damage created by this storm is widespread and significant,” said Chris Laird, one of Consumers Energy’s Officers in Charge for restoration. “We are moving every resource that we can into place ― including crews from our energy industry peers in the Midwest ― to ensure we can safely turn the lights back on for our customers.”
The storm this morning moved across Michigan, causing damage and affecting over 155,000 customers. Most of those were in the Muskegon, Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo areas, as well as communities in the northeast Lower Peninsula. The company responded quickly and, as of 4 p.m., has restored power to than 40,000 affected customers.
Most customers should get power back by noon Thursday, with all customers in the hardest-hit areas restored by the end of the day Thursday.
The company has set up mobile response units in Muskegon, Coopersville and Hale to better assess storm damage and speed safe restoration efforts in those regions.
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 roadsides. Drivers should slow down or stop and wait for oncoming traffic to clear so they can go safely past.
- 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, 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 6.8 million of the state’s 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties. Consumers Energy knows Job No. 1 is to keep the lights on for customers. We are committed to providing reliable, clean and affordable energy to our customers 24/7.
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Media Contacts: Brian Wheeler, 517-740-1545, or Katie Carey, 517-740-1739.