Saturday, Sept. 1, 2018
9:55 a.m.
An estimated 5,600 Great Lakes Energy members remain without power Friday in 16 counties served by the electric cooperative. More than 2,900 members in Lake County are without power after extreme weather including tornados hit the area earlier this week. Other hard hit areas include Mason, Newaygo, Osceola and Oceana counties.
Crews estimate that more than 250 poles have been broken due to the storms and expect this number to increase as they continue to find damage. Pole setting crews are working to replace poles and then line crews can come on the scene to replace wire. A single pole replacement can take up to five hours depending on the situation.
Power has already been restored to more than 30,000 members since the storm began. Restoration timeframes for all areas may change but crews anticipate getting most members in Newaygo County on today with some scattered outages remaining tomorrow. Repairs in Oceana County will continue today and tomorrow, with most services repaired by Sunday night. Mason County will see restoration continue into Monday, Osceola and Lake counties, the hardest hit areas, could see restoration continue into Tuesday. Crews also continue to work in all other affected counties with most restorations being completed today and tomorrow. As restorations are completed, crew progress can change and workers are moved into the next area to help. Work is being hindered significantly by the amount of tree damage and incoming weather today will also slow down progress. Crews are finding power lines twisted in trees and branches required new wires to be strung, taking more time.
Members who don’t have their power restored by 10 p.m. will likely not have their electricity restored today and are advised to call 211 for local shelters or make alternate arrangements if needed.
Great Lakes Energy members are reminded to stay away from downed power lines and also stay clear of trees and limbs hanging on the lines. Current outage information by counties and zip codes is updated on the Great Lakes Energy website, www.gtlakes.com, by visiting Storm Central.
Great Lakes Energy members can report their power outage by calling 888-485-2537, logging into their online GLE account or using the Great Lakes Energy mobile app. Â
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