Consumers Energy Thanks Customers After Ice Storm: ‘We Have All Hands on Deck. We Are Restoring Power’

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Consumers Energy Thanks Customers After Ice Storm: 'We Have All Hands on Deck. We Are Restoring Power'

JACKSON, Mich. Friday, February 24, 2023

Consumers Energy's president and CEO thanked customers for their patience this morning as over 500 crews from Michigan and four other states continued their round-the-clock work to restore power after this week's devastating Michigan ice storm. As of 11 a.m., crews have restored power to nearly one third of some 250,000 affected homes and businesses.

"I want to thank those customers who were impacted by this ice storm. Power outages are certainly frustrating, and I appreciate and thank you for your patience," said President and CEO Garrick Rochow. "We have all hands on deck for this restoration effort. That means we have over 500 crews, or more than 1,500 people, in the field, supported by hundreds of people behind the scenes working to restore customers."

Crews from Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Virginia are part of the restoration effort, moving across southern Michigan communities that were blanketed with up to a half-inch of ice. Consumers Energy also will be starting helicopter inspections today to assess damage, including 8,000-plus downed wires, in the hardest-hit areas.

VIDEO:Consumers Energy's president and CEO talks about storm restoration

Consumers Energy projects that a majority of affected customers should have power back by Sunday. Restoration work will continue and be largely complete by the end of the day Monday.

Customers can report an outage and check the status by visiting www.ConsumersEnergy.com/OutageCenter or through the Consumers Energy app. Estimated restoration times can vary based on damage assessments and changing weather conditions.

With sub-freezing temperatures today, Consumers Energy is highlighting 2-1-1 as a resource for basic needs and to learn about local warming centers. 2-1-1 is a free statewide service.

Rochow also continued to remind the public to watch for downed wires, urging people to stay at least 25 feet away, keep children and pets away, and report the issue by calling 9-1-1 and Consumers Energy at 800-477-5050.

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.

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 Contacts: Brian Wheeler, 517-740-1545, or Katie Carey, 517-740-1739

The next news release is scheduled for 4 p.m. Friday, February 24.

For more information about Consumers Energy,go toConsumersEnergy.com.