GAYLORD — Power is being restored in parts of Otsego County following last weekend’s historic ice storm as life slowly begins to regain a sense of normalcy.
“We have people coming in to warm up and also to use our internet. We also have some snacks and beverages and we will remain open to provide shelter,” Lori Bush, Corwith Township treasurer, said Thursday at the township hall (8170 Mill St. in Vanderbilt), which is functioning as a warming shelter.
In addition to the Corwith Township Hall, the Gaylord E-Free Church at 1649 East M-32 and the Charlton Township Hall at 10775 Rowan Ave. in Johannesburg are also serving as warming shelters in the county. Otsego County Emergency Management on Thursday said the Sportsplex at 1250 Gornick Ave. in Gaylord will also be a warming station. However, it will not be open 24 hours a day.
Gaylord City Treasurer Travis Hewitt said Thursday that power has been restored to parts of Gaylord, including areas near downtown on Main Street.
“Buildings near El Patron (Mexican restaurant on Main Street) seem to have power,” he said. “Several gas stations are now open, including Family Fare and the Marathon station at 2859 Old U.S. 27 South near the I-75 interchange.”
More: PHOTOS: Ice storm aftermath in Northern Michigan
More: Live: Progress continues in restoring power to Northern Michigan communities
Consumers Energy said that in addition to the hundreds of thousands who lost power over the weekend due to a series of storms, 47,000 additional customers lost power on Wednesday afternoon and evening due to high winds from another weather system.
Of the estimated 350,000 customers affected by storm events, nearly 90% have had power restored, the company said in a statement Thursday. In Northern Michigan, Consumers has restored about 75% of the 97,000 customers who lost power due to the initial ice storms, with plans for the majority of customers in the region to have electric service by the end of Friday.
To thank customers for their understanding, Consumers is working with local first responders and law enforcement in Alcona, Crawford, Oscoda and Otsego counties to provide free water on Thursday to those impacted by the storms.
More: Whitmer visits ice-damaged Northern Michigan, pledges support for recovery efforts
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Separately, Great Lakes Energy (GLE) said Thursday approximately 33,000 customers are without power across the cooperative’s 26-county service territory. Restoration efforts that were gaining momentum were offset by additional storm activity in the central and southern portions of the utility’s service area. Service has been restored to more than 103,000 members since the original storms began.
The president and CEO of Presque Isle Electric & Gas Co-op (PIE&G), which provides electricity in Alpena, Cheboygan, Montmorency and other counties in Northern Michigan, said the storm will be historic in terms of the amount of damage and how long the power outages will last.
“The damage is extreme and folks with experience are calling this worse than a hurricane. We have 7,700 out of our 35,000 electric members restored,” said Allan Berg. “The storm has caused extensive damage to power lines, poles, and essential infrastructure, with fallen trees and debris blocking roads. Many roads remain impassable, complicating access to damaged lines and poles. Hundreds of poles require replacement, with each taking several hours to fix. There will definitely be people without power through the weekend.”
— Contact Paul Welitzkin at pwelitzkin@gaylordheraldtimes.com.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Warming shelters remain open as storm recovery inches along in Otsego County
Reporting by Paul Welitzkin, The Petoskey News-Review / The Petoskey News-Review
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