Most Customers Should See Power Restored by End-of-Day Friday
Consumers Energy’s storm restoration work has entered the homestretch for customers affected by severe ice and thunderstorms that battered northern and southern portions of Michigan throughout the past week.
About 900 crews have helped restore power for customers who lost power over the weekend in the first series of storms that brought historic ice accumulation to northern Michigan and nine confirmed tornadoes to southern Michigan. Some 47,000 additional customers lost power on Wednesday afternoon and evening given high winds cultivated by a second storm system.
While changing conditions and the complexity of the damage has impacted restoration efforts, crews will continue to work around the clock so that almost all the 370,000 customers impacted will be restored by the end of the day tomorrow.
“We expect to continue making good progress thanks to more favorable weather conditions across Michigan,” said Norm Kapala, one of Consumers Energy’s Officers in Charge of restoration. “We thank our customers for their continued patience as we work safely around the clock to fully restore all customers as quickly and safely as possible.”
To thank customers in especially hard-hit areas for their understanding, Consumers Energy is working with local first responders and law enforcement in Crawford, Otsego, Oscoda and Alcona counties to provide free water throughout the day today to those impacted by the storms.
Imagine a school where the science fair is as popular as the high school homecoming game. Where fans chant wildly for Byting Bulldogs, A Flock of Nerds, and Benzene Bots. FIRST Robotics is kind of like that. And it’s getting more like that every year.
Michigan FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is part of a national, nonprofit organization that inspires young people to be science and technology leaders. The programs are in about 30% of Michigan’s school districts. Find your school here.
With the help from companies like Consumers Energy, Michigan FIRST Robotics has been growing teams and inspiring young minds to consider STEM pursuits. In 2019, The Consumers Energy Foundation contributed more than $450,000 to support STEM programs, including FIRST teams at elementary, middle school and high school levels across the state. Our employees volunteer as mentors for teams throughout the year and also help power the students on the robotics teams at the state championship with mobile charging stations, laptops and printers.
Ever dreamed of being a pit manager? What about a queuer? (Really, it’s a robotics thing.) How about a mentor? Michigan FIRST Robotics’ volunteers support, inspire and are role models for teams.
Contact Michigan FIRST Robotics to learn how your expertise and volunteerism might be put to work supporting a local team.
Teachable Moments
Want to raise your child’s energy IQ? Motivate them to save energy? Here’s your chance. We point out opportunities that you can find every day to help make your case.
Why We’re Involved
We are investing in school programs like FIRST Robotics to get kids interested in science, technology, engineering and math—skills that are in high demand.
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