CHEBOYGAN — Depending on what happens with Wednesday’s weather, Consumers Energy still hopes to restore power to most households in Cheboygan County by midnight on Friday, April 4.
The county was hard hit by last weekend’s ice storm and many residences still have no electricity. Gregory Salisbury, vice president of electric distribution engineering for Consumers Energy, said prior to Wednesday’s weather the company was looking at Friday for widespread power restoration. Forecasts call for a combination of more ice accumulation, rain, snow and heavy winds in Northern Michigan.
“There will be areas that go beyond (Friday restoration). With the additional complexity of today’s weather there will be new Estimated Time of Restorations (ETRs) established as we may have to move crews,” Salisbury said.
Presque Isle Electric & Gas Co-op (PIE&G) hasn’t updated its guidance for power restoration from a posting on its website since Monday, March 31 when it said about 35,000 of its customers did not have power or internet access.
In a Wednesday Facebook post, co-op officials reported that their outage map may not be an accurate reflection of the restoration work taking place.
“We are actively restoring areas in townships and cities, and those restored may not be reported on the outage map,” the post reads. “We are working to resolve this technical issue and apologize for any confusion or frustration this has caused. Please know that our crews, contractors and mutual aid workers are diligently working to restore power as quickly and safely as possible now that power is flowing to our substations.”
More: PHOTOS: Ice storm aftermath in Northern Michigan
More: Live: Power slowly returning across Northern Michigan following ice storm
Meanwhile, Cheboygan County Sheriff Todd Ross said Walmart in Cheboygan was open on Wednesday.
“Gas stations are hit and miss,” he added.
According to Ross, warming shelters that are still open include the following:
“We are trying to help everyone. We even had people from Charlevoix here. We are going to keep the hall open 24/7 until power is fully restored,” Waverly Township Supervisor Kory Hyde said Wednesday. “There are sections of transmission line that every pole is on the ground along (M-33) for about a mile. It’s just a total mess.”
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Hyde said Freddie’s Market, at 11556 M-33 in Atlanta, is now open.
In a posting on its website, Tom’s Family Market at 20597 State St. in Onaway said the store is open.
“We have milk rolling in right now, there is meat, produce and dairy coming in and a semi-truck load of water coming in today. Unfortunately we still only take cash or check. Normal operation today open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.,” the posting said.
Former Tuscarora Township Supervisor Mike Ridley said Wednesday that Pat and Gary’s Party Store in Indian River is open.
“You can buy stuff but it’s cash only as they are in the dark,” he said. “Just the gas station at Ken’s Market (6433 Barbara Ave. in Indian River) is open.”
— Contact Paul Welitzkin at pwelitzkin@gaylordheraldtimes.com.
This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Power restoration efforts continue in Cheboygan County
Reporting by Paul Welitzkin, Cheboygan Daily Tribune / Cheboygan Daily Tribune
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