JACKSON, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — More than 600 Consumers Energy crews, contractors and lineworkers are making their final push on Sunday, February 26 to restore power to homes and businesses affected by last week’s powerful ice storm. Consumers officials predict that most customers should have their power back on Sunday with the remainder of the work completed on Monday, February 27.
A combined force of about 2,000 lineworkers from Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Virginia are continuing to restore power across southern Michigan communities that were blanketed with up to a half-inch of ice. Kalamazoo County and surrounding areas were hit especially hard by the weather event that knocked down powerlines and trees, which caused thousands in property damage and many of the city’s streets to be closed off to traffic.
Norm Kapala, one of Consumers Energy’s officers in charge, thanked those in the communities they serve for their patience and understanding over the last few days saying, “We look forward to getting the lights back on for every single customer.”
Consumers Energy also thank their customers for their patience by holding numerous events in their coverage area to include free meals along with free admission on Sunday to 400 guests to Air Zoo Aerospace & Science Center in Portage.
Consumers Energy customers can get updates on the continuing 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.
Kapala also encouraged people to be careful while crews continue to work today. In particular, people should still 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:
1. 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.
2. Call 2-1-1, a free statewide service, if you are looking for help connecting to resources that offer assistance in their community, including warming centers.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
