125,000 DTE, Consumer Energy customers in Michigan still without power after storms

Aurora Sousanis, Detroit Free Press
Updated ·2 min read
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The lights are turning back on for Michiganders.

After severe thunderstorms and a record-breaking seven tornadoes ripped through central and southeast lower Michigan earlier this week, more than 400,000 customers of DTE Energy and Consumers Energy reported power outages.

As of 11:15 Sunday morning, that number has been reduced to a little more than 125,000 DTE and Consumer Energy's customers combined.

DTE's outage map shows that while 56,752 of its customers are still in the dark, it has restored power to the majority of affected customers.

A storm update on the map previously stated that DTE expected to have all storm outages restored by the end of Sunday. It now says DTE expects to restore the "vast majority" of remaining outages by the end of Sunday.

Consumers Energy also has customers awaiting fixes. Sunday morning, its outage map showed 68,177 customers still affected after nearly 200,000 customers were without power Friday. Like DTE, the company has changed their language surrounding the timeline of restorations, now writing in a news release that they hope to bring "most" customers back online by Sunday.

Throughout Sunday, Consumers Energy will be providing free meals to the communities of Grand Ledge, Grass Lake and Manchester where damage has been particularly severe.

Both DTE and Consumers Energy have brought in crews from other areas to help with repairs. Consumers Energy has crews from as far away as Pennsylvania, Alabama and Kentucky working 16-hour shifts to restore Michigan residents' power, according to a news release from the company.

More: Michigan power outage map: How to check your status

Both companies also continue to urge people to stay at least 25 feet away from downed power lines and assume that any downed line is live and dangerous.

To report unguarded downed lines, call 911 and Consumers Energy at 800-477-5050.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: DTE, Consumers Energy power outages: 125,000 customers still affected