This time, it's been high winds gusting at up to 60 miles per hour. The National Weather Service had already warned us about this situation earlier this week. Still, even though utilities had promised they were prepared to respond to the weather, outage maps from Consumers Energy estimated 1,491 outages affecting 77,044 of their customers right now. That's better than what The Detroit News is reporting about DTE Energy: As of 2:30 p.m., 160,000 of its customers lack power.
But speaking with a DTE Energy spokesperson, MT has learned that number has climbed even higher, reaching 230,000 in southeastern Michigan as of 3:20 p.m. DTE Energy spokeswoman Amanda Knaebel says, "We've been seeing it increase throughout the day. We're continuing to watch the storm."
That would seem to put the total amount of Michiganders affected by a power outage right now up to somewhere more than 307,000, or roughly 3 percent of the state's population.
Knaebel also had some good advice, saying "Be cautious when outdoors. Winds like this can bring branches and power lines down. If you come across a downed line, stay at least 20 feet away and report it online or by calling customer service."
You probably know the drill by now, though. So stay away from downed lines, break out the generator, make the reservations at the Red Roof Inn, or call Aunt Edna about that fold-out couch. It's going to be an interesting weekend.
Again.
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