Sustained high winds and powerful gusts Tuesday and Wednesday have more than 212,000 Consumers Energy customers experiencing an interruption in electric service Wednesday evening.

Since Tuesday morning, more than 260,000 customers have been affected by downed trees and power lines due to high winds, some in excess of 60 mph.

Because of the storm’s duration and statewide impact, some customers in the worst impacted areas may not have power restored until Sunday.

“Safety for our customers and employees is our top priority as we work throughout a vast swath of our service territory in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, making repairs to restore customers’ power, repair nearly 3,000 down wires and replace 500 broken utility poles,” says Guy Packard, vice president of energy operations. “All of us at Consumes Energy appreciate our customers’ patience as we commit to working 24/7 until our final customers have their energy restored following this damaging windstorm.”

From line workers to damage assessors, wire guards and customer service representatives, more than 1,600 people are engaged in the storm restoration effort. An additional 130 workers are on their way from utilities in Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana to assist the crews in Michigan.

Customers can now sign up to get outage alerts and restoration times sent to a phone, email or text message (Text ‘REG' to 232273.) at consumersenergy.com/alerts. They can also report an outage, check the status of an outage and get useful tips what to do before, during and after a storm by visiting consumersenergy.com/OutageCenter.

The public is especially reminded to keep these safety items in mind:

• Stay at least 25 feet away from downed power lines and to call 911 and Consumers Energy at 800-477-5050.

• Be alert to crews working along roads. Drivers should slow down or stop and wait for oncoming traffic to clear so they safely can go past workers on roadsides.

• Never use a generator in an attached garage, basement or near any air intakes, and never fuel a generator when it is running. Operating a generator without proper ventilation can create carbon monoxide, an odorless, colorless and deadly gas. If using a generator, contact a licensed electrician to ensure that it is properly connected and make certain it is isolated from the company’s electric distribution system.

In some cases, the mast that holds the electric service wires to a customer’s home or business may have been damaged or torn away. Crews will reconnect the wires to a home, but only a licensed electrician can repair or replace a mast or a cable.

As of 4 p.m. Wednesday, counties most affected by electric interruptions were: Alcona (2,351); Allegan (5,989); Antrim (540); Arenac (754); Barry (6,275); Bay (1,630); Branch (2,776); Calhoun (9,825); Clare (935); Clinton (2,545); Eaton (4,738); Genesee (17,247); Gladwin (830); Grand Traverse (242); Gratiot (4,027); Hillsdale (3,556); Ingham (6,300); Ionia (9,256);  Iosco (952); Isabella (780); Jackson (18,274); Kalamazoo (16,994); Kent (38,438); Lenawee (9,040); Livingston (2,664); Mecosta (2,818); Midland (5,785); Monroe (4,827); Montcalm (5,722); Newaygo (1,996); Oakland (1,127); Ogemaw (370); Ottawa (2,847); Roscommon (1,870); Saginaw (7,285); Shiawassee (4,169); St. Joseph (1,200); VanBuren (1,874); Washtenaw (1,297)  and Wexford (936).

Source: Consumers Energy