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70,000+ wake up still without power Christmas morning

Posted at 1:39 PM, Dec 25, 2015
and last updated 2015-12-25 18:49:19-05

WEST MICHIGAN – Thousands of Michigan residents woke up Christmas morning with their power still out.

As of 5:30  p.m. Friday, Consumers Energy was reporting  that about 59,000 customers in Michigan still did not have power.

Around 5:30 p.m., Friday, Great Lakes Energy reported 7,655 customers without power.

Consumers Energy Outage Map (as of 1:30 p.m. Friday)

Consumers Energy Outage Map (as of 1:30 p.m. Friday)

Tens of thousands of customers were affected after a strong wind storm Wednesday night that lasted into Thursday morning.

Winds in some areas topped 60 miles per hour.

More than 300 workers from five different states joined the task of restoring power to area residents.

As of 9:30 p.m. Thursday, Consumers Energy  reported  91,000 homes and businesses were without power. Winds were to subside as time went on, so crews will be out restoring power throughout the week.  Due to the damage, some areas may not get power back until Sunday.

“We appreciate the response to our call for assistance to companies within Michigan and outside the state to help our customers,” said Mary Palkovich, Consumers Energy’s vice president of energy delivery. “Having these additional men and women will certainly help our restoration efforts. And we thank our customers for their continued patience while we safely restore power, especially during the Christmas holiday.”

As of 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Great Lakes Energy reported 19,544 customers are without power.