INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — High winds across Indiana have blown over trees and left tens of thousands of power customers without service.
The National Weather Service recorded a 66 mph wind gust in Valparaiso, a 64 mph gust in Adams County in northeastern Indiana and a 60 mph gust at Indianapolis International Airport. It also received reports of trees being blown down across the state.
The weather service said in a statement that the winds were creating difficult travel conditions for high-profile vehicles.
Indiana Michigan Power released the following information on Thursday morning about power outages in the Michiana area:
I&M understand the inconvenience of being without power, especially on Thanksgiving. Crews are out in full force, and additional assistance arrived this morning to help restore power as soon as possible.
Yesterday’s winds exceeded forecasts, with gusts exceeding 60mph across I&M. Benton Harbor peaked at 63mph, Fort Wayne at 61, and Muncie at 62. Outage numbers peaked at 13,000 yesterday, but more than 22,000 customers were affected in total as winds continued throughout the day. More than 90% of all customers have been restored.
Approximately 1,200 remain without power, and we’ll continue to work until everyone’s lights are back on. Muncie is fully restored, and those crews moved up to assist the Fort Wayne area this morning. As the South Bend and Elkhart districts finish up, those crews are moving to assist in Southwest Michigan.
OUTAGE UPDATE
11-28-19 | 10:00 a.m.
OUTAGE NUMBERS
The approximate number of outages in Indiana and Michigan areas as of 9:30 a.m. are:
Indiana Total Customer Outages: 600
Fort Wayne area: fewer than 400
Muncie/Marion area: Fully restored
South Bend/Elkhart area: approximately 200
Michigan Total Customer Outages: 600
Benton Harbor area: approximately 300
Buchanan area: fewer than 200
Three Rivers area: 100
ESTIMATED RESTORATION TIMES (ETRs)
South Bend –100% by noon today
Elkhart – 100% by noon today
Fort Wayne – all but two outages restored by 4:00 p.m. today. The two outages extending
beyond 4 p.m. involve multiple broken poles loaded with equipment or in hard-to-access areas,
and affect ~275 customers total.
All districts –100% restored by noon today
