Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


Consumers Energy is preparing crews to be ready to restore power ahead of the potential of two rounds of impactful weather expected to move into the state to cap off the month of March.

The energy provider is alerting the public to be ready for the possibility of strong to severe thunderstorms with winds above 60mph beginning in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Hail and tornadoes are also a possibility with the system.
 
Consumers Energy will mobilize crews as needed to start restoring power should customers experience interruptions. It said the greatest area of risk Tuesday morning is south of US-10.

Additionally, a second round of storms could impact the state with a mix of rain, freezing rain and snow early Thursday morning – mostly north of I-96.
 
Norm Kapala, one of Consumers Energy’s Officers in Charge for restoration, said “We continue to keep a close eye on weather conditions and are planning accordingly well in advance of these potentially impactful systems. We empathize with customers who have seen multiple impactful events late this winter and early spring, but rest assured we have all the resources needed to quickly and safely restore power.” 
   

Consumers said customers can prepare their homes with the following tips in mind:

-Charge all critical electronics including medical devices. It’s advised to have an emergency battery or charging station available.

-Have an emergency kit that includes flashlights and extra batteries, water, canned food and blankets. Be prepared with enough medication, baby supplies and pet food if applicable. A battery-operated radio is also a good idea.

-Unplug sensitive electronics like TVs, computers and printers. Turn power strips off.



As safety remains a top priority for the company, customers are asked to practice extreme caution and follow these safety tips:

-Stay at least 25 feet away from downed power lines, and to report unguarded downed lines by calling 9-1-1 and Consumers Energy at 800-477-5050.

-Never use a generator in an attached garage, basement, enclosed patio or near any air intakes. Doing so could cause a generator to produce hazardous levels of carbon monoxide, an odorless, colorless and deadly gas. 

-Consumers Energy will trim or remove trees interfering with electric restoration activities. Once safe to do so, clean-up of debris from tree trimming or removal during a storm emergency is the responsibility of individual property owners.

In some cases, the mast that holds the electric service wires to a home or business may have been damaged or torn away. Crews will reconnect the wires to a home, but only a licensed electrician can repair or replace a mast or a cable. 

Customers can continue to check the status of outages at ConsumersEnergy.com/OutageCenter. They can also sign up for outage alerts and restoration times sent to a phone, email or text message, Text ‘REG' to 232273 or visit ConsumersEnergy.com/alerts.