UNDATED (WHTC-AM/FM) — With severe thunderstorms rolling overhead on Sat., Sept. 1, 2018, the scattered thousands of utility customers without power may have to wait a day or so much for restoration.
Great Lakes Energy’s outage map reflected an estimated 5,600 Great Lakes Energy members without power Friday in 16 counties, about 2,900 in Lake County, the rest sprinkled in the following counties: Mason, Newaygo, Osceola and Oceana counties.
Great Lakes repair crews are replacing more than 250 utility poles broken during the storms, which included five small tornados documented by the National Weather Service.
Consumers Energy reports that 99.8 percent of its customers had service by Satuday morning, but shortly after Saturday’s storms starting rolling across West Michigan, almost 700 lost power in the Solon Twp. area, just west of Cedar Springs.
Crews estimate that more than 250 poles have been broken due to the storms and expect this number to increase as they continue to find damage. Pole setting crews are working to replace poles and then line crews can come on the scene to replace wire. A single pole replacement can take up to five hours depending on the situation.
Power has already been restored to more than 30,000 members since the storm began. Restoration timeframes for all areas may change but crews anticipate getting most members in Newaygo County on today with some scattered outages remaining tomorrow. Repairs in Oceana County will continue today and tomorrow, with most services repaired by Sunday night. Mason County will see restoration continue into Monday and Lake County, the hardest hit area, could see restoration continue into Tuesday. As restorations are completed, crew progress can change and workers are moved into the next area to help. Work is being hindered significantly by the amount of tree damage and incoming weather today will also slow down progress. Crews are finding power lines twisted in trees and branches required new wires to be strung, taking more time.
Members who don’t have their power restored by 10 p.m. will likely not have their electricity restored today and are advised to call 211 for local shelters or make alternate arrangements if needed.
Great Lakes Energy members are reminded to stay away from downed power lines and also stay clear of trees and limbs hanging on the lines. Current outage information by counties and zip codes is updated on the Great Lakes Energy website, www.gtlakes.com, by visiting Storm Central.
Great Lakes Energy members can report their power outage by calling 888-485-2537, logging into their online GLE account or using the Great Lakes Energy mobile app.
