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38,000 Consumers Energy Customers Without Power

Posted at 5:50 AM, Apr 14, 2014
and last updated 2014-04-14 06:09:47-04

Power outage Consumers crew in woods April 2014GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (April 14, 2014) — Across Michigan, about 38,000 electrical customers remained without power as of 4 a.m. Monday, said Consumers Energy.

In West Michigan, some 25,000 customers still lacked electricity from the weekend’s storms:

Outages:

  • Kent County 5,800
  • Muskegon 7,760
  • Montcalm 5,300
  • Mecosta 4,100
  • Newaygo 2,125

Consumers Energy has been using a mix of employees and contract line worker crews. About 40 crews from Indiana and Ohio are also working Michigan’s power lines.

How quickly remaining power outages are eliminated depends on Monday’s weather.

Here’s what to do in power outages and when damage occurs, according to Consumers Energy:

Call Consumers Energy to report a power outage on the utility’s automated reporting option: 1-800-477-5050. The service provides restoration information for each substation and circuit, and can be used to report an outage.

  • Stay at least 25 feet away from any downed wires and to report them immediately by calling 9-1-1 or Consumers Energy at 1-800-477-5050.
  • 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.
  • If using a generator, contact a licensed electrician to ensure that it is properly connected and, for the safety of our line workers, make certain it is isolated from the company’s electric distribution system. Never use a generator in an attached garage, basement or near any air intakes, and never fuel a generator when it is running.
  • In some cases, the mast which 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.