Consumers Energy : Hosting Community Events as Crews Make Progress on Restoration Efforts

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Consumers Energy Hosting Community Events as Crews Make Progress on Restoration Efforts

Jackson, Mich. Sunday, December 12, 2021

Consumers Energy has restored power to more than 105,000 customers

While crews continue around the clock restoration efforts, Consumers Energy is hosting five community events this evening in the areas hit hardest by yesterday's severe storm than featured high winds over 55 miles per hour. In Ionia, Cedar Springs, Carson City, and Spring Arbor Consumers Energy team members are providing free large pizzas to customers, and in Flint, customers can get free coffee and donuts. Locations and details can be viewed atFacebook.com/ConsumersEnergyMichigan.

"In total, with today's favorable weather, our tireless crews have been able to restore power to more than 105,000 customers, but we have more work to do. We are so grateful for our customers' patience, and these community events are just a small way to thank them as our crews work to get our customers back up and running," said Melissa Gleespen, one of Consumers Energy's Officers in Charge for the storm event.

In all, the wind storm impacted more than 150,000 customers. Severe weather swept through Michigan knocking out power along the lakeshore, moving across mid and southern Michigan yesterday morning. The hardest hit areas in Michigan include: Midland, Flint, Carson City, Grand Rapids, Greenville, Alma and Ionia. Winds have knocked down trees, limbs, broken 192 poles, and damaged over 2,200 power lines.

The company has more than 370 crews, including 50 mutual assistance crews, storm trailers, and mobile command centers, throughout the central portion of our service territory.

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

Gleespen urged people to pay attention and be mindful of downed power lines. If you see one, stay at least 25 feet away from downed power lines, keep children or pets away, and report the issue by calling 9-1-1 and Consumers Energy at 800-477-5050. Someone will respond as quickly as possible to secure the scene. Consumers Energy asks the public to keep a safe distance from crews due to health precautions and to allow them to do their work.

Consumers Energy also asks 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.
• 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 which holds the electric service wires to a customer's 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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Media Contacts: Josh Paciorek, 517-243-9036

The next news release is scheduled for tonight on Sunday, December 12.