Thousands remain without power after strong winds

SAGINAW, Mich. (WNEM) - Thousands remain without power after strong winds came through mid-Michigan.

Many schools in the TV5 viewing area are closed today because they are without power. You can find the school closings here.

Over the weekend, some wind gusts were over 65 mph.

Consumers Energy announced Monday morning, crews have restored power to 70 percent of customers impacted by the storms, and with favorable weather, they hope restoration efforts will continue.

“We’ve made good progress overnight and have turned the lights back on for approximately 93,000 customers that were impacted by this weekend’s severe weather,” said Scott McIntosh, one of Consumers Energy’s Officers in Charge for the storm event. “We know how frustrating power outages can be, but our customers should know that our team is committed to finishing our work as quickly and as safely as possible. We are grateful for our customers’ continued patience and cooperation.”

More than 140,000 Consumers Energy customers were impacting by the damaging weather.

Customers can report an outage or check the status of an outage by visiting this link,.

Consumers recommends residents stay at least 25 feet away from downed power lines, and keep children and pets away.

Some other safety tips include:

• 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.
• Call 2-1-1 if you are looking for help connecting to resources that offer assistance in your community. 2-1-1 is a free statewide service.
• 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.

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