Colder weather hits Mich. amid power restoration
Colder weather moves into Michigan as crews work to restore power following ice storm
LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- Colder weather made its way into Michigan on Monday as crews worked to restore power to the last people left without electrical service following an ice storm more than a week ago.
In the Lansing area, where roughly 1,100 Lansing Board of Water & Light customers were without power as of Monday morning, the National Weather Service reported that temperatures were in the teens.
A special Lansing City Council meeting, where officials with the municipal power company are expected to speak, is planned about the outages.
Over the weekend, Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero directed police and fire personnel to conduct door-to-door welfare checks in areas without power. They're expected to continue until service is restored, MLive.com reported.
"As this crisis continues, please help us reach out to your neighbors, especially senior citizens, disabled citizens and families with young children, who may still be trying to stay in a cold home," Bernero said.
Michigan authorities blame at least five deaths on the storm, including three killed in crashes and two who died from carbon monoxide fumes from emergency generators.
The cold weather Monday was felt throughout the state, and snow was in the forecast in places. In the Upper Peninsula, readings of 15 below zero were reported on Monday morning in Ironwood. Wind-chill warnings were issued.
In all, about 666,000 Michigan utility customers lost power, including 40,000 from the Lansing utility. The Lansing power company said 40 percent of its customers lost service, and it has defended its work to restore service to them.
On Monday, lines formed at Lansing Board of Water & Light centers that were opened to update customers on restoration efforts, the Lansing State Journal reported.
Jackson-based CMS Energy Corp. said essentially all its 416,000 affected customers were back online. Detroit-based DTE Energy Co. says all its 210,000 affected homes and businesses had power back as of Sunday night.
"DTE understands how difficult it is to be without power, especially during the holidays," the utility said in a statement. "The company appreciates the patience of its customers during the restoration process."
