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Family still in the dark following weekend storms

Posted at 6:27 PM, Aug 23, 2016
and last updated 2016-08-23 18:28:11-04

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Frederick Curtis and his family have been without power since Saturday following the storms.

"We're the only house that lost power," Curtis said.

A tornado hit parts of West Michigan on Saturday, and his Grand Rapids neighborhood felt some of the impact. Winds knocked down a tree apparently in his neighbors backyard and onto his SUV. That tree also snapped the pole on his meter which connects the electrical line to his house.

The storm left a live wire down in the street. Consumers came and secured it.

"They said they was going to come back, but they never came back," Curtis said.

"Everything got to be thrown out," Curtis said as he looked in the refrigerator.

He reached out to the FOX 17 Problem Solvers for help with getting his power restored.

The Problem Solvers placed a call to Consumers Energy. A crew responded to the home to assess the situation. The company said the customer was told to repair the pole (or mast) to the meter in order for Consumers to restore power. Curtis said this is news to him and that he's sat in the dark for four days now.

Spokesman Roger Morgenstern said Consumers secured 500 live wires over the weekend following the storms.

The crew went ahead and connected the line to the house, however power couldn't be restored just yet. When an electrician replaces the meter's pole,Morgenstern said that electrician can then reconnect the line to the new pole, thus restoring the power.