Strong winds knock out power for more than 125,000 Consumers Energy customers
KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Whipping winds swept across Michigan on Saturday, Nov. 5, causing scattered tree and powerline damage.
As of 10 p.m., just over 126,000 Consumers Energy customers were without power across Michigan. Approximately 30,000 of those customers were in West Michigan.
Consumers Energy crews were expected to work through the night to make repairs and restore electric services.
“Consumers Energy was prepared for this storm and had crews ready to respond ahead of this all-day wind event,” said Scott McIntosh, Consumers Energy’s officer in charge for today’s power restoration work. “We had our crews pre-staged across our service area to speed our storm response and we are mobilizing with all hands on deck to make repairs safely and restore service for our customers as quickly as possible.”
- Report an outage, check restoration status: Consumers Energy Outage Center
McIntosh urged people to stay at least 25 feet away from downed power lines, keep children and/or pets away, and report the issue by calling 9-1-1 and Consumers Energy at 800-477-5050. The public was asked to keep a safe distance from Consumers Energy crews.
Most of West Michigan reported gusts over 50 mph during the afternoon and evening as a cold front marched through the area. A few isolated gusts over 60 mph were also reported, one at the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport.
Wind gusts were forecast to weaken overnight Saturday through Sunday, with a stretch of dry and sunny weather on the way.
- Forecast: WWMT.com/Weather
Consumers Energy shared the following safety reminders:
- 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.
