More than 42K DTE customers still without power two days after severe storms in Southeast Michigan
(CBS DETROIT) — Thousands of DTE Energy customers are still without power on Thursday, two days after severe storms rolled through Southeast Michigan.
As of 6:15 p.m. on Thursday, 42,006 DTE customers were without power. Additionally, 17,263 Consumers Energy customers were without power.
Brian Calka, the vice president of distribution operations at DTE, said Tuesday afternoon's storms caused the bulk of power outages, with another 30-40,000 caused by overnight storms.
"The challenge in an event like this is we can only respond to the wire downs that we're aware of. That's where the safety message really plays out is we know there are other wires that are down on the ground right now; people just haven't seen them and we're not aware of them," Calka said. "People should be staying indoors as much as they possibly can to avoid any potential of a safety issue with a down power line."
The utility company expects to have power restored to 90% by the end of Thursday.
In response to the heat, the Detroit Public Schools Community District released students early on the first two days of the school year. Some school districts also canceled classes after the storm due to power outages.
On Wednesday, Detroit police said a man died after he was electrocuted by a downed wire on the city's east side. In a statement, DTE said it was working with police to investigate the incident. The utility also advised residents to stay at least 25 feet away — or the length of a school bus — from power lines.