LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — As of Friday evening, many in Michigan are still without power due to Wednesday’s ice storm.
DTE reports that 433,230 customers are without power, while Consumers Energy reports that 156,560 customers are affected by outages.
The company says crews worked through the night and about one-third of customers have had their power restored.
Based on the way things are going, Consumers says a majority of customers should have their power back by Sunday and work will continue into Monday.
Those in the Lansing area have been largely spared this time, with the Lansing Board of Water and Light only reporting two customers without power.
Most of the outages are in the south and southeast portions of the state, with the Jackson, Hillsdale, and Ann Arbor areas being hit hard.
Consumers Energy stated its customers should have power returned to their homes by Sunday, and some crews will continue to work on Monday.
A Consumers spokesperson said the thawing of the ice on Thursday created a new batch of problems for repair crews.
Some repairmen reported dealing with ice that was half an inch thick, making it hard to fix the downed lines.
“As ice melts, those limbs that would have been weighed down will pop back up, will make contact with wires and there may be some winds as the weather changes that could also create further damage,” said Consumers Energy spokesperson Greg Salisbury.
