I & M Electric crews are working around the clock, but Estimated Restoration Times in power outage areas are being extended, according to the latest update from the company Wednesday, early afternoon. That includes a Benton Harbor area ERT of 10 pm Thursday night:
Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) is restoring power with more than 350 employees and contractors working in impacted neighborhoods and communities and with another 100 crews on the way to assist.
At the peak of the storms overnight, more than 27,000 were without service. As of 12:30 p.m., more than
19,000 customers are without electricity in Indiana and Michigan, with crews restoring approximately
8,000 customers so far today.
The majority of customers without power are in the hard-hit Southwest Michigan area from Tuesday morning after a substation flooded with 2-feet of water, affecting more than 17,000 customers at the peak.
Currently there are more than 11,000 customers in Michigan without electricity.
The Fort Wayne and the South Bend/Elkhart areas were also impacted by last night’s storms with approximately 7,000 customers without power.
Heavy rain, lightning and wind gusts up to 60-miles-per-hour were recorded overnight in I&M’s service area. I&M line workers, damage assessors, tree crews and contractors are working 16-hour shifts, in the and other supplies are needed to make repairs. Due to this, customers may see damage assessors in neighborhoods before crews arrive to start restoration work.
In Southwest Michigan, crews continue performing time-consuming work to restore customers who lost Tuesday morning due to the flooded Bridgman substation, which affected three other substations in the New Buffalo, Three Oaks and Lakeside area. Crews are working to install a mobile station and make new repairs after last night’s severe weather.ESTIMATED TIMES OF RESTORATION (ETRs):
Below are estimated times of restorations available for customers. However, another line of storms is forecast to hit this afternoon/evening, which may hinder restoration efforts or cause additional outages.
Buchanan and Three Rivers area estimated to be 90% restored by 10 p.m. tonight.
Benton Harbor area estimated to be 90% restored by 10 p.m., tomorrow (Thursday) night.
Fort Wayne area estimated to be 90% restored by 10 p.m. tomorrow (Thursday) night.
South Bend/Elkhart area estimated to be 90% restored by 10 p.m. tonight.
