DTE issues warning to avoid downed power lines after boy injured, Monroe teen dies

Monday night's 70-mph winds in Michigan brought death and destruction as a 14-year-old was killed and an 8-year-old was severely injured after they touched two of the 3,000 power lines downed by the storm. The widespread outage left 380,000 Michigan residents and 30 metro Detroit schools in the dark.

A Toledo woman died after a tree fell on her.

DTE sent out an urgent warning for residents to stay at least 20 feet away from the downed lines, and to be wary of other potentially dangerous objects, including fences that live wires could be touching.

The utility company said it expected to restore 80% of customers impacted by the storm by the end of the day on Thursday.

"It's definitely one of the more significant weather events of the year," said Trent Frey, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in White Lake, who early Tuesday was putting together a report on the storms. "There was pretty widespread damage as those storms came through."

Most of the destruction came from high winds, he said.

Many Midwest residents on Monday took to social media to document the destruction the storms wrought on their property and, in some cases, tout their good luck with photos of near misses, branches just feet away from their homes.

In Pleasant Ridge, where there are tree-lined streets and many were without power, large tree branches came down on a home.

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More:Here's what to do with refrigerated and frozen foods during a power outage

Despite the damage, Frey said rainfall was only between a quarter-inch to an inch.

In Monroe, the girl, identified as Elizabeth Jacobsen, 14, had been walking with a friend in her backyard and "believed that they could smell a bonfire," authorities said. She reached "for what she thought was a stick," but it turned out to be a charged electrical line.

Police and firefighters from the Public Safety Department, as well as Monroe Community Ambulance, responded to calls a that a teen had been electrocuted and when they arrived they found her "in contact with the energized electrical line."

"She was a very sweet little girl and she was full of life," said the Rev. Heather Boone, a family friend and pastor of Oaks of Righteousness. "This is just a terrible tragedy and my heart breaks for the family and this community. She will be missed."

Monroe Public Schools interim Superintendent Andrew Shaw issued a statement "with great sadness" at the loss of a member of the district. He encouraged parents to discuss with their children feelings they might be experiencing as part of the healing process.

"Our hearts are with her family and all who knew and loved Elizabeth," Shaw wrote. "There are no words to express the loss of this sweet girl who had her whole life ahead of her."

He said Elizabeth would have been a freshman at Monroe High School this year after completing eighth grade at Monroe Middle School "where she touched classmates and staff with her kind heart and bright smile."

In Warren, the 8-year-old boy wanted to swing from a live wire hanging about 4 feet off the ground. He and his brother were taken to a nearby hospital.

Utility companies are warning everyone to steer clear of downed power lines.

Commerce Township, Walled Lake and Novi issued boil water advisories, as a precaution. A Great Lakes Water Authority station temporarily lost power in the storms and the system lost pressure, which the authority said can lead to bacterial contamination.

In addition to Michigan, storms also ravaged parts of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, where the Toledo woman was killed after a large tree fell on her in her backyard, according to news reports. Rescue crews responded at about 6:30 p.m. and found her pinned under the tree.

Utility companies said they were working to try to quickly repair lines and restore power.

"Our crews are securing the more than 3,300 downed power lines, assessing damage, and beginning restoration," DTE said. "Crews from across the country are being brought in to assist in this effort. We will provide restoration estimates as soon as our crews can safely assess damage."

DTE recently came under fire for proposing an 8.8% rate hike for its users. That would look like about a $10 increase per month for residential customers. Last summer, hundreds of thousands of Michiganders were left without power repeatedly during the summer of storms.

As a result of the outages, Michigan officials are calling out DTE's "unreliability."

If there was a bright spot Tuesday, it was the mostly dry weather, which allowed homeowners to begin cleaning up the mess.

For those impacted by Tuesday's power outages, there were a few things to keep in mind.

First, keep your fridge closed as much as possible to prevent the cold from escaping. If you're not sure whether food is safe to eat, "when in doubt, throw it out."

To stay safe during during the power outage, follow these guidelines, provided by DTE:

Stay at least a bus length (20 feet) away from downed power lines and don’t touch anything they may be in contact with such as fences – always consider them live and dangerous.

Never drive across a downed power line. If a power line falls on your vehicle, call 911 and remain inside until help arrives.

Do not cross yellow caution tape, which indicates there is a downed power line in the area.

Never use a portable generator inside a home or business. It emits carbon monoxide, which can be deadly. Keep it outside, away from windows and doors, so the fumes won’t come in.

Stay out of flooded or damp basementsor other areas if water is in contact with outlets or any electrically-operated appliance. The water or moisture may serve as a conductor of electricity, causing serious or even fatal injury.

Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com. Ray Kisonas of the Monroe Evening News contributed.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: DTE issues warning to avoid downed power lines after teen's death