Michiganders, DTE brace for more power outages
CLAWSON, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - As Michiganders prepare for Friday's winter storm, many are fearful they will lose power again.
In a statement, DTE said "trees and branches weakened by last week's ice storm may cause more damage to the electric system following the predicted snow and winds. DTE's Storm Response Team is prepared to respond to power outages caused by the weather as quickly and safely as possible."
While many people embrace Michigan's erratic weather, others do not.
"People are kind of annoyed and frustrated," said John Brown, the assistant manager of the Great Lake ACE Hardware in Clawson. "Dealing with the going from 40 one day to 20 and ice coming down the next day."
A spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) said they are encouraging drivers to use the MI Drive Map. A website where users can check road cameras along their route, to see conditions before heading out the door.
Brown said rock salt has been flying off their shelves, especially their pet-safe formulas. He said they are also stocked up with different types of shovels. He said with the heavy snow, a pusher might be better than a scooper.
"Because that way you can just push that ice, and you don't have to worry about that packed snow coming in and you lifting it up and risk hurting yourself," he said.
Brown said the biggest worry his customers are having is losing their power again. He said it's best to stock up on batteries, and don't expect to find many generators. They sold out of them after that week's ice storm.
"And I tell you, if we had 20 generators in, we'd have sold them all."
In their statement, DTE said they are closely watching the weather system. They are remind people to stay 25 feet from downed wires and anything in contact with those wires. To report a downed wire, call 800-477-4747, visit outage.dteenergy.com, or report the downed wire on the DTE app.