The heavy wet snow that fell overnight and through the early morning hours left as many as 20,000 without power, including the JVIS Manufacturing plant along Ox Creek on the fringe of downtown Benton Harbor. Crews have been working to remove downed tree limbs from power lines and downed lines themselves in the effort to restore power.
As of mid-afternoon I&M spokesman Tracy Warner reported that the utility had restored about 25-percent of the nearly 20,000 customers who lost power as a result of that winter storm that struck southwest Michigan and north-central Indiana early today.
I&M crews from throughout the service territory are working to restore power. More than 200 employees and contractors are on the ground in Michiana in addition to dozens of support staff working on restoration.
The approximate number of outages as of 2 pm were:
Indiana: 5,150
- Joseph County: 4,500
- LaPorte County: 650
Michigan: 10,300
- Berrien County: 9,400
- Cass County: 450
- Van Buren County: 200
- Joseph County: 200
- Kalamazoo County: Less than 50
I&M urges the public to be aware of the hazards created by the storm. Keep your eyes out for broken limbs and branches that may not have fallen yet. Look up and check your surroundings to make sure you stay safe.
Downed wires should always be considered energized and dangerous. Authorities urge you to keep away from them and anything they could be touching. They also caution you to watch for wires down that could be touching fences or hidden under tree limbs or debris. Stay away and call I&M at 800-311-4634 to report any downed wires.
Customers are encouraged to report outages every 24 hours. Customers can check the latest restoration information for their account via the utility’s website (IndianaMichiganPower.com/Outages ) or their new mobile app which can be obtained by searching for Indiana Michigan Power in the App Store or Google Play to download it today.
You can also follow along on Facebook (Indiana Michigan Power) and Twitter (@IN_MI_Power) for the latest updates.
The photo accompanying this story on Moody on the Market is from historical archives, is used for illustration purposes only, and does not represent an actual occurrence from today’s storm.
