Consumers Energy : Restores Schools, Working to Bring Power Back to Almost All Customers by End of Today

Monday, August 28, 2023

Helped by favorable weather, Consumers Energy today is entering the home stretch of power restoration work following last week's devastating storm that caused about 200,000 outages.

A record number of Consumers Energy crews ― including crews from six states ― have restored power to over 85% of the homes and businesses left in the dark after winds reaching 90 miles per hour and tornadoes swept across the state, causing damage from Grand Rapids to Southeast Michigan.

Consumers Energy made it a priority to restore power to schools, and fewer than 29,0000 customers remained without power as of this morning.

"Today is all about the final push and executing safely to restore power for our remaining customers who have been so patient in challenging circumstances," said Scott McIntosh, one of Consumers Energy's Officers in Charge for the storm. "Our crews are continuingtheir around-the-clock effortsand will focus on the hardest-hit circuits. As always, safety is our top priority, especially with schools back in session in most communities."

As the restoration work continued, Consumers Energy held customer appreciation events over the weekend in communities with extensive storm damage, including Grand Rapids, Comstock Park, Manchester, Grand Ledge and Grass Lake. From free children's museum tickets to free lunches, the company cares for those without power in the communities it serves.

Due to the scope of damage, Consumers Energy will restore power in communities hit hardest by the end of today. Those communities are:

• Kent County, including Plainfield, Lowell and surrounding areas.
• Ionia County, including Saranac, Clarksville and surrounding areas.
• Ingham County, including Stockbridge and the surrounding area.
• Eaton County, including Grand Ledge, Dimondale, Potterville and surrounding areas.
• Jackson County, including Jackson, Napoleon, Brooklyn and surrounding areas.
• Livingston County, including Cohoctah Township, Deerfield Township and surrounding areas.

Customers can report an outage and check the status of outage by visiting www.ConsumersEnergy.com/OutageCenter. They can also sign 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.

McIntosh urged people to stay at least 25 feet away from downed power lines, keep children and pets away, and report the issue by calling 9-1-1 and Consumers Energy at 800-477-5050. Consumers Energy also asks the public to keep a safe distance from crews.

Consumers Energy urges the public to keep important safety tips in mind:

• 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.
• 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 or brian.wheeler@cmsenergy.com

The next news release is scheduled for 4:30 p.m., Aug. 28.