Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


Utilities are urging caution and patience as the number of downed wires and outages associated with Wednesday’s ice storm increase.

There were local reports of power lines down throughout the night and into the morning. There were also reports of large trees down and blocking roads, including one that crashed through a home.

Some traffic lights were also out and should be treated as four-way stops.

Consumers Energy said some crews began restoration work last night and the energy provider had more than 300 crews mobilized and ready to begin an all-hands-on-deck restoration process once it is safe for all crews to be deployed. More than 160,000 customers were impacted.

DTE Energy reported more than 80,000 customers without power. Its outage map showed scattered outages throughout Livingston County.

DTE said its Storm Response Teams will work around the clock to restore power as quickly and safely as possible, and additional support from neighboring states has arrived to support restoration efforts. However, the utility said it expects more broken lines from fallen tree limbs and the added weight from the ice.

Anyone without power is asked to report it via online outage maps with their service provider.

Photo: Consumers Energy.