5 days later, some in Michigan still lack power
A new storm teeming with freezing rain and strong winds is socking Michigan
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A new storm teeming with freezing rain and strong winds socked Michigan on Monday, presenting a fresh challenge for crews that have been trying to restore electricity to thousands of customers who have been in the dark since ice snapped lines days ago.
The state's largest utilities, Consumers Energy and DTE Energy, together said more than 140,000 customers lacked power by mid-afternoon. Consumers added roughly 50,000 to its outage map, hours after reporting that the finish line from last week's storm seemed near.
“There is another storm moving through mid/northern Michigan counties with ice, freezing rain and strong wind gusts,” Consumers spokesperson Josh Paciorek said by email.
Meanwhile, blizzard warnings went into effect in the Sierra Nevada range as more rounds of rain and snow moved into California and Nevada. Tornadoes and other powerful winds swept through parts of the Southern Plains, killing at least one person in Oklahoma.
At the peak last week, Michigan had more than 800,000 outages from rain turning to ice and then bringing down tree limbs and lines. Some residents, like Jo Ann Davis in Livingston County, still were waiting for the lights to come on Monday after five days.
Davis, 59, really wants a shower. No electricity, of course, means no lights or appliances, but her problem is even more acute: no water.
Davis and husband Tim rely on a well at their home — and a well needs electricity to pump water into the house.
“It’s the biggest hassle,” she said. “We’re actually scooping water from a creek with 5-gallon buckets and then dumping it in the toilets to flush. I haven’t showered since last Tuesday.”
In suburban Detroit, Leah Thomas and her teen son stayed at her parents' home while power was out for four days in her Beverly Hills neighborhood. Their electricity came back Sunday but disappeared again Monday.
“It's very frustrating,” said Thomas, who had to throw out spoiled food, including prepared meals worth $200 in the freezer. “I’m just going to hope and cross my fingers that it comes back on here soon."
DTE said customers without electricity for more than 96 hours would get a $25 credit.
More than 600,000 DTE customers have been restored since last week, though “that's little comfort if you're still without power right now,” said vice president Ryan Stowe.
An ice storm is “one of a utility's worst nightmares," he said Monday.
___
Follow Ed White at http://twitter.com/edwritez