Multiple days of ice storms have left a lasting mark on Northern Michigan.
Thousands of people across the region remain without power in freezing weather, with some roads still blocked due to downed trees and powerlines.
Outages
As of 9:15 a.m., Consumers Energy was reporting 3,764 outages across the state, affecting 160,495 customers.
“We understand how frustrating it is to be without power and we thank customers for their patience as our crews continue working around the clock to get the power restored,” wrote Chris Fultz of Consumers in a release Monday, March 31. “Crews from four states joined with our (crews) as they encountered uprooted trees, down lines and broken poles.”
Officials estimate the majority of Northern Michigan’s restoration is on-track to be complete Tuesday, with the hardest hit areas back online by Wednesday.
“The ice storm and severe thunderstorms felt across our state was damaging, but crews were able to be out in the field responding to outages. Overall, we have restored power to 75,000 customers over the last two days,” Fultz wrote in the release. “We encourage anyone who needs to travel to please keep our coworkers and their safety top of mind.”
You can check the outage map at consumersenergy.com/outagemap.
Great Lakes Energy was reporting 422 outages on Monday, affecting 45,301 customers. Outages can be found in 15 of the cooperative’s 26 counties.
According to a release issued Monday, widespread damage to trees and electric infrastructure is slowing progress, with many roads still impassable.
“Crews have already identified hundreds of broken poles, and many areas remain inaccessible,” the release read. “Replacing poles — a process that takes several hours — along with repairing downed wires and clearing fallen trees, is contributing to the extended restoration timeline. GLE is also monitoring forecasts for additional storms this week.”
You can check the outage map at gtlakes.com/power-outages.
Presque Isle Electric and Gas Co-Op was reporting 32,233 customers without power at 9:20 a.m. Monday. All available crews and emergency assistance from contractors and mutual aid from around the state are working to restore power.
More: Severe thunderstorms pummel Michigan, leaving 3 dead and 183,000 without power
“This storm is unlike anything we have experienced,” wrote President and CEO Allan Berg in a release Sunday, March 30. “While we diligently prepare for any weather event, this event is extreme. It only takes a quarter of an inch of ice to cause damage, and we have areas with over half an inch of ice or more.
“The lines can fall when this happens, which causes further damage and outages. We are doing everything we can to handle emergencies while keeping our crews and the public safe. We expect this outage to extend through several days and encourage our members to seek shelter and plan accordingly. Please allow our crews to do what they do best while they safely restore power to the community. We greatly appreciate everyone’s understanding during this time.”
You can check the outage map at pieg.com/outage-center.
DTE Energy was reporting 21,913 customers across the state without power on Monday.
According to DTE officials, they are estimating 95% of customers will be restored by the end of the day Monday.
You can check the outage map at outage.dteenergy.com/map.
Some cities in the region are experiencing widespread outages.
For example, the city of Petoskey was still in total power loss as of 9:30 a.m. Monday.
According to the city’s website, the first outage occurred around 8 p.m. Saturday and impacted about 50% of the city and associated electrical service area. Another substation went down at approximately 8:30 a.m. Sunday, resulting in total power loss. City officials do not have an estimate for when power may be restored.
— Contact Jillian Fellows at jfellows@petoskeynews.com.
