DTE Energy Power Outage Recovery Times in Southeast Michigan: Here’s What We Know

DETROIT – Nearly half a million people were without power in southeast Michigan this week after damaging ice and winds moved through the area.

The midweek winter storm brought rain, snow and ice buildup, causing widespread power outages that persisted through Friday.

As of 11:50 a.m. Sunday, more than 170,000 DTE customers were without power. Here’s what we know about possible restore times.

DTE Energy Power Failure Recovery Times – What We Know

DTE Energy plans to restore power to the “vast majority of customers” affected by the storm by the end of the day on Sunday.

Because hundreds of schools closed this week due to the storm and ensuing outages, officials said getting power back to schools before Monday was a top priority.

“Our teams made great progress this weekend and are committed to working around the clock to get the job done,” said Norm Kapala, one of the Consumers Energy officers in charge of the event. “We are grateful to members of the communities we serve for their patience and understanding over the past few days, and we look forward to turning the lights back on for every customer.”

About 2,000 linemen in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Virginia are still working to restore power.

If you are without power, you can check your restore time on the DTE website, the link is available below.

You can see the DTE outage map here.

Resources in the event of a power outage

Report a DTE failure here. Report a breakdown at Consumers Energy here.

Power outages are of particular concern in the winter, as cold temperatures can pose hazards to people and their homes. Find some resources below:

Safety tips during a storm

• Stay at least 20 feet away from downed power lines and anything they come into contact with, including puddles and fences. Also keep children and pets away.

• Be extremely careful near metal fences, which conduct electricity, following a violent storm. Electric current will be strongest where a downed power line touches a metal fence. Even a connecting fence located at multiple backyards can be live and dangerous.

• Never cross the yellow barrier tape. It can be around downed power lines.

• Never drive over downed power lines. If a power line falls on your vehicle, stay inside your car until help arrives.

• A live power line can spark and spin in circles as it searches for ground. A ground is the earth or something that touches the earth, such as a fence or a tree. A live wire that has found its ground may remain silent, but it is still dangerous. Report a downed power line, on the DTE Energy mobile app, or call us immediately at 800-477-4747.

• Cables or telephone lines can be energized if they come into contact with power lines. Contact with a live power line can be fatal.

• Never use a portable generator inside a home or business. It emits carbon monoxide, which can be deadly. Keep it outside, away from windows and doors, so that fumes do not enter.