Thousands remain without power in Monroe County after ice storm

A winter storm packed with ice and freezing rain Wednesday has left thousands of Monroe County residents in the dark.

Monroe County, which was originally under a winter weather advisory, was added to the ice storm warning area already posted for mid-Michigan for several hours Wednesday evening.

Photos:Feb. 22, 2023, ice storm

Both DTE Energy and Consumers Energy, the two electric companies that serve Monroe County, have posted outage maps showing customers remaining without power in large parts of the Monroe, Dundee, Maybee, Temperance and Ottawa Lake areas. In many cases, "ice on equipment" is the stated reason. DTE said it expected 95% of its customers to have power restored by Sunday, Feb. 26.

As of 3 p.m. Thursday, DTE said there were 21,341 customers in Monroe County without power. Consumers showed 1,686 of its customers in the county were without power Thursday afternoon.

Outage map:Consumers Energy

Outage map:DTE Energy

In a noted difference from Wednesday when decisions had to be made based on a forecast and some Monroe County schools remained open, nearly all public and private schools in Monroe County were closed Thursday because of the resulting power outages, downed trees and icy roads.

More:Monroe County school announcements for Feb. 23

Damage reports from city of Monroe

The Monroe Public Safety Department posted some photos on its Twitter account Wednesday evening of downed trees in the city.

Monroe's Public Safety Department followed up Thursday morning with a post on Facebook, explaining its officers had responded to approximately 94 calls for service in the past 24 hours. Most were related to severe ice and heavy rain.

First responders were dispatched to residential house fires, wires down, downed trees, electrical outages, traffic crashes, gas leaks and multiple medical rescue calls, as well as reports of criminal complaints.

“Please be mindful as we navigate through the aftermath of this storm, many of our trees and electrical wires are still covered in ice and numerous tree branches are still down at this time. Be diligent and cautious as you navigate through your day and remember that downed trees near power lines may be energized posing a severe health and safety hazard,” the Monroe Public Safety Department said.

The department urges residents to be patient.

“Please be patient with the members of the Monroe Public Safety Department, being assisted by the Monroe Department of Public Services and DTE Energy, as they work hard and continue to respond to these calls in order to quickly restore this situation back to a safe environment for all.”

To report an emergency, call 911. For Monroe County Central Dispatch non-emergency, call 734-241-3300.

For downed power lines, DTE Energy can be reached at 800-477-4747.

The Monroe Public Safety Department and DTE Energy offer tips on downed power lines:

• Look up and know what is down: Downed lines may be on the ground, wrapped in a tree or hiding behind tall grass or weeds.

• Stay a school bus length away: Consider all lines live and stay at least 25 feet, or a school bus length, away from the line and anything it comes in contact with.

• Report it: Use the DTE Energy mobile app or call DTE at 800-477-4747 or contact 911 to report the downed line.

Damage reports from village of Dundee

The Dundee Police Department also posted on its Facebook a message from the Dundee Township Fire Department:

"The recent storm has brought down countless power lines. Fire personnel have been very busy all night responding to calls regarding these downed lines. The Fire Chief is urging residents in the village and township to exercise extreme caution when exiting their homes this morning. Downed power lines may be tangled up in tree limbs that the storm has brought down and are difficult to see."

Road closing reports from MDOT

Michigan Department of Transportation reported via Twitter and email shortly before 11:24 p.m. Wednesday that southbound U.S. 23 after M-50, Exit 17, the exit to Dundee, was closed because of a downed tree. That area was back open by 2:34 a.m.

At 2:48 a.m., MDOT reported that southbound U.S. 23 after Ida West Road, Exit 13, was closed because of downed trees. That area was back open by 6:55 a.m.

Another MDOT post shortly before 6:30 a.m. Thursday reported that southbound U.S. 24 (Telegraph Road) at Will Carleton Road had the right two lanes blocked because of a downed tree.

Announcements from DTE Energy and Consumers Energy

At one point overnight Wednesday, the DTE Energy Outage map that many residents and news media use to track power outages was not working; but the company has since posted an update that the map is back in service.DTE in the meantime reported that "additional support from neighboring states has arrived to support restoration efforts."

In preparation for the storm, Consumers Energy posted a list of safety notes that urged residents to "Stay at least 25 feet away from a downed wire and anything it is touching."

Consumers also posted an announcement on Twitter at 11:10 p.m. Wednesday that they were "waiting for conditions to improve" before attempting restoration efforts in some areas.

Other local reports

The Monroe County Road Commission posted on its Facebook page asking residents to "note we can not clear any roadway hazard which is tangled within power or utility lines until the utility company is on location."

The Michigan Secretary of State issued a closing notice that listed the Monroe, Temperance and Adrian locations among its offices that were closed for much of Wednesday because of the weather conditions.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Thousands remain without power in Monroe County