Consumers Energy Overnight Shift Crews Restore over 100,000 Customers

Jackson, Mich. Wednesday, June 26, 2024

After a productive overnight shift, hundreds of Consumers Energy and contractor crews from five neighboring states restored power to over 100,000 customers. This restoration was needed as a result of a large thunderstorm which swept the state early Tuesday morning, featuring winds in excess of 70 mph, thunder, lightning and in some locations hail.

“We appreciate our customers’ patience as our crews are facing extreme conditions in some areas of the state. Uprooted trees, branches tangled in electric wire and crushed cars present challenges,” said Chris Fultz, one of the Officers in Charge for restoration. “These crews train for the 16-hour shifts and tough conditions they experience as they work to restore power quickly and safely to homes and businesses.”

In total, the company has more than 450 crews, including crews from five different states, are working round-the-clock to restore power after the storm impacted approximately160,000 customers across the state. As of this morning, more than 100,000 customers already had their power restored, while a majority of customers can expect to have their power restored by midday Thursday, with the hardest hit areas stretching into Thursday night.

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.

As a thank you to customers in the regions hit hardest by the storm, Consumers Energy will be providing free water and snow cones to customers at the following times and locations today:

Free Water Distribution

• When: 12:00pm – 2:00pm, Wednesday June 26
• Where:  Oakridge High School (Parking lot between Middle School and Athletic Field), 251 S. Wolf Lake Road, Muskegon

Free Shaved Ice Snow Cones

• When: 4:00pm – 6:00pm, Wednesday June 26
• Where: Goodrich Park, 100 Lake St, Whitehall

As always, 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 Contact: Katie Carey, 517-740-1739 or Brian Wheeler, 517-740-1545