Consumers Energy Starts Work to Restore Power After Second Major Storm Moves Across Michigan

Consumers Energy Starts Work to Restore Power After Second Major Storm Moves Across Michigan

JACKSON, Mich. Monday, February 27, 2023

Over 600 Consumers Energy crews are restoring power to southern Michigan customers affected by last week's historic ice storm. As they finish restoring power, they will be shifting their attention north to help bring the lights back on to homes and businesses in mid-Michigan after another round of bad weather.

"Consumers Energy is ready and committed to our customers, even as Mother Nature has delivered a one-two punch of severe storms over the last week," said Jeff Shingler,one of Consumers Energy's officers in charge for the event. "We are grateful for the patience of our friends and neighbors, and are going to stay in 'storm mode' until everyone has their power restored in the next two days."

Today's storm featured strong winds and ice, and interrupted power to over 45,000 homes and businesses from west Michigan to the Flint area. Consumers Energy projects most of those customers should have power by the end of the day Wednesday.

Crews have restored power to over 260,000 Consumers Energy customers in total. Nearly all homes and businesses affected by last week's ice storm last week are expected to be restored by the end of today.

Consumers Energy customers can get updates on restoration work by signing up to get outage alerts and restoration times sent to a phone, email or text message, Text 'REG' to 232273 or visit www.ConsumersEnergy.com/alerts. People who don't sign up for alerts can report and check on the status of outages at www.ConsumersEnergy.com/OutageCenter.

Shingler also encouraged people to watch for downed wires. People should always stay at least 25 feet away from a downed wire, keep children and pets away, and report the issue by calling 9-1-1 and Consumers Energy at 800-477-5050.

Consumers Energy urges the public to keep this important information in mind:

• Be careful while crews continue to work along roads. Drivers should slow down or stop and wait for oncoming traffic to clear so they safely can go past workers on roadsides.
• Call 2-1-1, a free statewide service, if you need help connecting to resources that offer assistance in their community, including warming centers.
• Never use a generator in an attached garage, basement, enclosed patio or near any air intakes. Doing so could cause a generator to produce hazardous levels of carbon monoxide, an odorless, colorless and deadly gas. Read more guidance on safe generator use here.
• 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 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.

Consumers Energy is Michigan's largest energy provider, providing natural gas and/or electricity to 6.7 million of the state's 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties.

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Media Contact: Brian Wheeler, 517-740-1545