UNDATED, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – Consumer’s Energy crews had a busy weekend and are even going into a busy week after storms whipped through West Michigan.
As of 6 p.m. Sunday over 76,000 customers were still without power throughout the state out of the 220,000 homes and businesses that were affected by the weekend storms.
Officials have been working around the clock and even brought in crews from energy providers based in six other states: Tennessee, North Carolina, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Missouri.
Many should already have their power back and but some may have to wait as long as Wednesday until it’s restored.
On Sunday Consumers Energy volunteers also passed out ice and water in Jenison, near Grand Rapids, to help residents beat the heat even without electricity.
They’re reminding Michiganders to always stay at least 25-feet away from downed power lines and report the line by calling 911 or Consumers Energy at 800-477-5050.
Consumers Energy also released this list of safety tips for residents:
- Call 211, a free statewide service, if you are looking for help connecting to temporary shelter or other resources that offer assistance in your community.
- Never use a generator in an attached garage, basement, enclosed patio or near any air intakes.
- Be alert to crews working along roads. Drivers should slow down or stop and wait for oncoming traffic to clear so they safely can go past workers on roadsides.
- 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 customer’s 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.
Outage updates and more information can be found at Consumers Energy’s website.
