I&M crews, business partners and contractors have restored power to more than 10,000 of the customers affected by today’s high winds, which knocked down many trees and limbs, downing power lines and breaking more than 30 poles.

Numbers fluctuated throughout the day as windy conditions caused additional damage and hampered restoration efforts, at times gusting strongly enough to ground our bucket trucks. More than 14,000 customers were affected in total, with peak numbers hitting 12,000.

Approximately 3,450 customers remain without power on more than 300 widespread outages. The number and widespread nature will cause many repairs to go into tomorrow. See the ETR section below for area estimates. We’ll continue working to get everyone back on as quickly and safely as possible.

The wind has slowed, but is still gusting enough to potentially cause more damage and outages, especially in Southwest Michigan. Please continue to be alert when you are outside. Watch for trees and limbs that may still fall, be cautious of debris, and avoid downed power lines. If you do lose power, please report it via our app, IndianaMichiganPower.com/outages, or by calling 800-311-4634.

OUTAGE COUNTS

Michigan total customers: 2,200

Benton Harbor area: 1,250

Buchanan area: 600

Three Rivers area: 350

Indiana total customers: 1,250

Fort Wayne area: 500

South Bend/Elkhart area: 100

Muncie/Marion area: 650

ESTIMATED TIMES of RESTORATION (ETRs)

We expect to have all customers in each area restored by the times noted below:

MICHIGAN

Benton Harbor area: 5 p.m. tomorrow

Buchanan area: 4 p.m. tomorrow

Three Rivers area: 6 p.m. tomorrow

INDIANA

South Bend area: 3 p.m. tomorrow

Elkhart area: 11 p.m. tonight

Fort Wayne area: 10:30 p.m. tomorrow

Avilla area: 11 p.m. tonight

Decatur area: 11 p.m. tonight

Muncie area: 11 p.m. tomorrow

Marion area: 3:30 p.m. tomorrow

Winchester area: 5:30 p.m. tomorrow

Individual outages will receive specific estimates as crews continue repairs. You can keep up with the latest information for your account on our app, our outage map, or with automatic mobile alerts.

STAY INFORMED

I&M encourages customers to use the Indiana Michigan Power app to monitor the status of any outage affecting your home or business. IndianaMichiganPower.com/App

You can sign up for text and email alerts on the app or at IndianaMichiganPower.com/Alerts

See the location and status of outages using our outage map at IndianaMichiganPower.com/OutageMap

For the latest updates please follow us on Facebook and find us on Twitter @IN_MI_Power

SAFETY INFORMATION

The highest gusts have waned, but it will still be a windy tonight and tomorrow. Please continue be careful if you are outside. Watch out for these common safety hazards:

• Downed power lines. Stay away from any downed wires and report them to I&M.  You can call us at 800-311-4634, report on our app or website, or call 911. Downed wires may be hidden by limbs and debris or touching a fence, so look carefully before cleaning up after the storm.
• Trees could fall or drop limbs at any moment, please look up.
• Fallen leaves may hide debris or downed wires, so look around carefully.
• Roads will likely be wet, slick and covered with debris and leaves. Please slow down.
• Traffic lights may not be functioning. Please use caution and be mindful of first responders and utility workers on the roadways.
• If you are using a gas-powered generator, only run it outside and away from windows, never inside your home or a garage. These generators can produce deadly carbon monoxide fumes.

For more safety information, visit IndianaMichiganPower.com/Safety