JACKSON, MI – Consumers Energy has deployed a new emergency-response trailer to provide its workers with food, water and clothes while working in areas hardest hit by two rounds of winter storms.
The utility provider has nearly 630 crews working to restore power after the first storm hit on Friday, Dec. 26.
Over 230,000 Consumers customers have lost power. Nearly 22,000 Consumers customers, mostly in the northwest and middle of the state, remain without power as of 4:45 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 30.
Another 7,000 customers of other utility providers have no power.
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The Consumers emergency response trailer is stationed this week in Mid-Michigan’s Clare County, where 5,713 customers are without power. The vehicle is staffed to provide crews with food, water and clean clothes so they can continue working to restore power.
It is also a communications hub. Workers can stay in contact with dispatchers via high-frequency radios and internet to identify outages as they occur.
Consumers expects all customers to have power on by the end of Wednesday.
A Clare County customer said in the Consumers statement: “It’s been a mess here in the Harrison area. We just wanted to thank you and all the linemen for all the hard work getting power back to everyone.”