“I hope they get it back on soon. I’m not looking forward to spending another night here. I mean, it’s so cold outside that even this small house, which retains heat well, has cooled down. “It will take a lot to warm it up,” said a 77-year-old Mesick woman who wishes to remain anonymous.
The Messick resident stated that she was unable to take a warm shower today and dress.
The Michigan power outage began yesterday, leaving 31,000 Michigan residents without power in freezing temperatures.
“I have three burners on my stove. The gas stove is on, and the temperature in my kitchen is around 55 degrees, which is manageable. More manageable than the rest of the home. But this is all I can do. I have a flashlight, which I used; I now have batteries for it.”
While keeping the burners on or the oven running is a popular way to stay warm during power outages, Cherryland Electric Co-operative warns that it is dangerous, risking fires and carbon monoxide poisoning.
“I would encourage people to seek out heating centers or warming centers versus trying to do something like that just because safety is the number one priority,” Courtney Doyle, an attorney, said.
The power outage was caused by high winds ranging from 51 to 61 mph.
Broken power lines and fallen trees are among the damages left to be repaired, in addition to restoring power to homes.
“Our overall goal is, in all cases, to get the power back on in 24 hours or less, even in the most severe weather,” said Consumers Energy spokesperson Brian Wheeler.
At the time of the interview, Consumers Energy had restored power to all but a few hundred homes.
More bad weather is expected. On Saturday, Consumers Energy wants people to know how to prepare for power outages before they happen.
“Make sure you have an adequate supply of food and water. For example, charge your phones at home so they are ready, and make a good plan; if you don’t think you can stay in your own home for an extended period of time, where else would you go?” said Wheeler.
