Indiana Michigan Power continues its restoration effort following Monday’s storms that knocked out electricity to thousands of customers. I&M tells us the following:
Power is back on for more than 50% of Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) customers who lost service June 13 from the severe wind and storms that swept through northeast Indiana and southwest Michigan. The majority of the approximately 20,000 who remain without power are located in Waynedale and southwest Fort Wayne.
More than 1,200 line workers, forestry experts, assessors, contractors, support crews and mutual assistance personnel are working 16-hour days to restore power to impacted customers. Crews have arrived from as far away as Oklahoma, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. Crews continue to face issues hindering restoration efforts including:
Large trees and debris blocking roadways and on power lines,
Significant damage to power poles requiring extensive repair work,
Damage to equipment in hard-to-reach locations requiring specialized equipment,
Extreme heat and humidity requiring additional precautions including breaks to avoid heat-related illnesses.
The record-breaking storm caused significant damage across I&M’s electrical system in northeast Indiana and southwest Michigan. I&M damage assessors discovered:
Approximately 275 broken and damaged poles
Nearly 40 damaged transformers
More than 570 individual spans of downed wires
APPROXIMATE OUTAGE COUNTS AND ESTIMATED RESTORATION TIMES (ETRs):
Estimated restoration times are when crews expect the entire area to be restored, but most customers will have power before the below estimated time. I&M encourages everyone to stay up to date with the latest estimates specific to their account:
Monitor the status of your outage at IndianaMichiganPower.com/App
Sign up for text and email alerts on the app or at IndianaMichiganPower.com/Alerts
COOLING CENTERS:
Cooling centers are open in many communities. Please check with your local city/community for locations and hours.
SAFETY INFO
Please pay attention to several safety precautions:
Downed power lines. Stay away from any downed wires and report them to I&M. You can contact I&M by calling 1-800-311-4634, report on our app or website, or call 911.
Be careful around debris and fences. Fallen limbs and other debris can hide downed power lines, and a downed line may be contacting a fence out of line of sight. Look around carefully. Trees could fall or drop limbs at any moment, please look up.
Traffic lights may not be functioning. Please use caution and be mindful of first responders and utility workers on the roadways.
We urge the general public not to approach our crews. For your safety and ours, please do not approach I&M employees and contractors working to restore power.
When using a generator, connect all appliances directly to the generator. Don’t connect the generator’s electrical output to any home or building electrical circuits. Don’t use gas powered generators in enclosed or partially enclosed spaces, like inside a garage or a home.
For more safety tips visit IndianaMichiganPower.com/safety/storms
