Outraged Michigan residents blast DTE after four-day power outage
LIVONIA, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) – Throughout Friday, the number of DTE Energy customers without power has slowly ticked downward, but those living south of Six Mile near Farmington Road were cranking their generators to stay cool; otherwise, they were planning to sweat it out for another night.
"Why did it take them until today to even start working on our lines?" said Hugo Giovannone, one of the affected customers.
We caught up with Giovannone as he was fueling up the generator he kicked on Tuesday night when the summer storm left him in the dark. He thought DTE would restore service the next day on his birthday.
"They were gonna have it fixed by the 28th then, 'Oh, I'm sorry, due to the heavy damage, we can't. It won't be ready till the 29th,' then the 30th, and today was the first day they finally showed up," Giovannone said.
This generator Giovannone bought two years ago has spared the food in his fridge, but in Brighton, Matt Hutchinson had to toss everything out.
"During my fourth day without power in Brighton, my colleague in China doesn't understand how the power is out for four days in a row," Hutchinson said in a voicemail to CBS News Detroit.
"I've lived through hurricanes, I lived through tornadoes, and I've lived through earthquakes, and never once have I suffered as many significant power outages as I have in the last five years here in Michigan overall."
Although Hutchinson finally got his power back on Friday, CBS News Detroit contacted DTE Energy to ask why it took so long.
The utility isn't doing any on-camera interviews. Instead, a DTE spokesperson sent CBS News Detroit the statement:
"On Tuesday night, 70 mph winds caused significant damage to power equipment in many areas, including Brighton. This customer's circuit was particularly hard hit, requiring extensive repairs including five new poles – each installation of which can take up to eight hours for a crew. As of this afternoon, this customer's service has been restored. While more than 99% of our customers do have power, we know how difficult it is for those whose service is interrupted. Our field crews will not rest until each customer is restored."
"We live in the most industrialized state in the nation, and our electric grid is not up to snuff," Hutchinson said. "If Big Gretch can run on "fix the damn roads," who's going to run on fix the damn grid?"
Given the number of days some folks have been without power, they will now be eligible for a $38 credit.
DTE says it will determine who is eligible and then post the credit to the account, which may take up to two billing cycles or up to 90 days after the outage.