COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – Strong winds of between 40 and 50 miles an hour with gusts over 60 miles an hour caused power outages for at least 180,000 Consumers Energy customers across Michigan on Wednesday which included almost 2,300 customers in Branch County.
Officials say some Consumers customers in the worst impacted areas may not get their power back until Sunday because of the storm’s duration and statewide impact.
“We have crews working around the clock in difficult weather conditions and we appreciate our customers’ patience,” said Guy Packard, vice president of energy operations. “With the rough weather continuing, we expect this to be a multi-day restoration effort.”
The weather is expected to get cold this weekend and there is snow in the forecast for Monday.
Consumers is trying to get extra crews from other power companies.
Outages can be reported to www.consumersenergy.com/outagecenter.
You should stay at least 25 feet away from downed power lines and be alert to crews working along roads.
Consumers is asking customers who are using a generator to contact a licensed electrician to make sure that it is properly connected and make sure it is isolated from the electric distribution system for the company.
