Consumers Energy’s Community-Focused Infrastructure Investments Support Better Storm Response in Southeast Michigan Since 2023

Monroe, Mich. Monday, October 19, 2026

Southeast Michigan customers are getting their power back faster after catastrophic storms. A Consumers Energy analysis of eight catastrophic storms from 2023 through July 2026 shows significant improvement in restoration times across the Adrian and South Monroe territories.

Every storm after February–March 2023 delivered better restoration results at both 24 and 48 hours than that initial baseline. Across the two 2023 storms, Consumers Energy restored power to more than 39% of customers within 24 hours and nearly 58% within 48 hours. Across six storms from 2024 through July 2026, those results improved to nearly 71% within 24 hours and 89% within 48 hours.

“We know our customers expect reliable power and faster restoration when storms occur. These results demonstrate that our investments are making a difference, and we’ll continue strengthening the grid through our Reliability Roadmap to deliver even better reliability for the communities we serve,” said Greg Salisbury, senior vice president of electric distribution for Consumers Energy.

The specific storm-by-storm results broken down below highlight even more notable restoration gains since 2023, supported by Consumers Energy’s more proactive tree trimming, installation of stronger poles and equipment, expanded use of technology, advanced weather forecasting, and strategic pre-staging of crews and resources.

2023 baseline: The February–March and August storms caused a combined 68,627 customers to experience outages in Southeast Michigan. Across those storms, over 39% of customers were restored within 24 hours and nearly 58% within 48 hours.

2024–2026 performance: The six storms from 2024 through July 2026 caused a combined 38,007 customers to lose power in the region. Across those storms, nearly 71% of customers were restored within 24 hours and 89% within 48 hours - improvements of over 31%, compared with 2023.

Consistent gains: Each of the six storms since 2023 exceeded the February–March 2023 baseline at both restoration milestones. Even during July 2026, the largest Southeast Michigan storm since that baseline with 17,023 customers losing power, Consumers Energy restored over 49% of customers within 24 hours and over 82% within 48 hours.

Statewide results also demonstrate stronger restoration performance:

February–March 2023: The storm caused 418,017 customers to experience outages, with over 54% restored within 24 hours and over 73% within 48 hours.

June 2024: Of 195,591 customers who experienced outages statewide, three-quarters were restored within 24 hours and 96% within 48 hours.

March 2026: Despite 350,827 customers losing power, Consumers Energy restored over 80% within 24 hours and over 89% within 48 hours - the strongest 24-hour statewide result among the eight storms analyzed.

“At the end of the day, keeping the lights on is job #1 for us,” Salisbury added. “We’ll continue to look for ways to utilize all the resources at our disposal to affirm that commitment.”

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Media Contact: Matt Johnson, 517-888-1539 or matt.f.johnson@cmsenergy.com