PORTAGE COUNTY − More than 16,500 Wisconsin Public Service customers in Portage County remain without power at 8:45 p.m. Thursday, April 2, after an ice storm moved through Central Wisconsin, and power restoration could take up to two days, Portage County Sheriff Mike Lukas said in a Thursday evening news release.
Stevens Point and Plover are seeing the greatest impact from the outages in Portage County after thick ice coated trees, limbs and power lines across central Wisconsin, said Matt Cullen, senior communications specialist for WEC Energy Group.
Cullen said all available Wisconsin Public Service crews, including some extra contract crews, will continue to work around the clock to make repairs and restore power to customers.
“WPS crews are encountering significant damage, including broken utility poles, downed power lines and trees that have fallen into electric equipment,” Cullen said.
Lukas urged people to stay inside when possible to limit walking on icy surfaces and if there is a need to be outside to be very careful walking; to limit driving, if possible, and if you have to drive to watch for falling and downed trees and power lines; and to check on the safety of friends, family and neighbors during the power outage.
Stevens Point Mayor Mike Wiza also reported falling trees, limbs and power lines down across the city, in a Thursday afternoon news release. He said crews were out trying to clear roads but the risk of falling trees and power lines remained significant.
Wiza also urged people to stay off the roads, unless necessary, to minimize the risk of damage or injury and to allow crews and emergency services to deal with the situations as they arise.
Stevens Point Fire Department responds to over 50 calls
The Stevens Point Fire Department said it responded to a high number of emergency calls following the ice storm, and had to staff eight additional personnel through 8 p.m. April 2 to ensure they could meet the increased demand for service across the community.
The Fire Department responded to over 50 calls for service by 6 p.m. April 2, including medical emergencies, elevator rescues, multiple fire alarms, over 25 incidents involving trees down on power lines, two Metro Fire responses, one motor vehicle crash and multiple electrical-related emergencies.
“The accumulation of ice has created hazardous conditions throughout the city, particularly with downed trees and compromised power lines,” Fire Chief Jb Moody said in the release. “Residents are reminded to stay clear of downed power lines, treat all lines are energized and report hazards to local authorities.”
Editor Jamie Rokus can be reached at jrokus@usatodayco.com or follow her on X (formerly Twitter) at @Jamie_Rokus.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
This article originally appeared on Stevens Point Journal: Ice storm leaves 16,500 WPS customers without power in Portage County
Reporting by Jamie Rokus, Stevens Point Journal / Stevens Point Journal
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