Consumers Energy crews are focusing now on the final and most complicated restorations left after another storm system made its way through the state this afternoon and evening, resulting in approximately 40,000 additional customers losing power due to high winds and falling debris.

This was the latest wave of severe weather in series of intermittent storms, spanning five days and impacting hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses, to pass through the state. Of the more than 320,000 customers impacted by the storm events, more than 85 percent have already been restored.

“There is no question the last five days have been deeply challenging for our customers and our lineworkers alike,” said Chris Fultz, one of Consumers Energy’s Officers in Charge of restoration. “Yet even as our co-workers continue encountering new problems in the field, their resiliency and determination has allowed us to stay focused and efficient during this restoration process. We’re grateful to them for their incredible dedication, and to our customers for their understanding and patience.”

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 tomorrow to customers impacted by the storms.

The restoration efforts are broken down into two distinct categories:

• Northern Michigan: Consumers Energy has restored about 75 percent of the 97,000 customers who lost power due to the initial ice storms, with plans for the majority of customers in the region to be restored by the end of the day Friday.
• Southern Michigan: Consumers Energy has restored about 90 percent of the almost 223,000 customers who lost power between the high winds and severe thunderstorms that impacted the region Sunday and Wednesday afternoons.