MICHIGAN — Wind and heavy rains have knocked out power for over 150,000 customers across Michigan.
The Consumers Energy outage map shows a trail across the state that follows the path of the storms starting Tuesday night and expected to continue through Wednesday throughout Michigan.
“Since Tuesday night, we’ve restored over 50,000 customers but we are experiencing more storms and outages through this evening, so we appreciate our customers’ patience,” said Guy Packard, Consumers Energy vice president for electric operations.
Consumers Energy told FOX 17 they are working to safely restore power, but with all the power outages it could be Friday until everyone is fully restored. Some customers could be without power through the weekend. They ask everyone to stay at least 25 feet away from downed power lines and report issues to either 911 or Consumers Energy at 800-477-5050.
Midwest Energy & Communications tells FOX 17 they have 664 customers without power in southwest Michigan as of 9:30 p.m. Wednesday. The small Cassopolis, Michigan-based company covers much of southern Michigan. MEC crews are seeing most of the damage in Texas and Prairie Ronde Townships. Their map shows customers without power in Cass, Berrien, St. Joseph, and Kalamazoo Counties as well as the east side of the state.
Guy Packard says customers can call 211 if they need temporary shelter or other community resources. It's important to avoid using generators in garages, basements, any enclosed area, or areas near air intakes. The carbon monoxide buildup is deadly. If you believe you have been exposed to carbon monoxide, call 911 and move to open air.
