KALAMAZOO (WKZO-AM) — West Michigan went from fall to winter in a hurry over the last 72 hours, and there has been an unprecedented response to the weather emergency.
It’s not like we didn’t have plenty of warning. The winter storm that arrived midday Monday had been leaving devastation everywhere it went, dumping mountains of snow on New Mexico and Texas, leaving 43 deaths in its wake as it caused flooding and tornadoes.
Michigan Secretary of State offices closed Monday afternoon. Gov. Rick Snyder sent everyone in state government home early Monday and opened the state’s disaster operations center at 1 p.m.
Van Buren County officials suggested that all work places finish up what they had to do and leave for home by 3 p.m.
Consumers Energy had been preparing for days, getting supplies in place and relocating repair crews around their service area, as they finished work on the damage caused by the Christmas Eve windstorm.
Kalamazoo County Undersheriff Pauli Matyas says they have responded to multiple slide-offs, but there are no reports of any serious injuries.
He says drivers have been taking it easy and keeping their distance. He says there have also been fewer than 100 power outages in Kalamazoo County.
The areas hit hardest by power outages are Hillsdale and Branch Counties. About 1,000 homes are in the dark in Van Buren and Calhoun Counties, and there are over 4,000 without power in Allegan County.
Consumers is also registering scattered outages throughout their service area. They are still assessing the full extent of the damage. More outages may occur Tuesday night before the wind dies down.
The Midwest Energy Cooperative is reporting 2,400 outages in Berrien, Cass and St. Joseph Counties.
Road travel isn’t the only form of transportation that has been disrupted. Most flights out of Detroit and four out of Kalamazoo were cancelled due to the weather.
Officials say, if you don’t have to go out, stay put until the worst of it blows over.
Temperatures are actually expected to rise overnight, and as the melting begins, the precipitation ends and after plow trucks hit the roads, it will be much safer to travel.
– John McNeill
