Around 22,000 Indiana Michigan Power customers lost electricity after thunderstorms moved through Michiana on Saturday morning, July 23.
Strong wind gusts of around 70 mph and hail were reported as the storm front blew through.
In Michiana, most of the outages were reported scattered through the South Bend, Mishawaka and Elkhart areas. There was no immediate estimate about when power would be restored.
Follow Indiana Michigan Power outages here
So far in the restoration, crews have identified more than 165 spans of downed wire and more than 80 broken or damaged poles. A large contingent of 900 mutual assistance personnel and contractors began arriving from as far away as Tennessee to assist about 450 I&M employees working on restoration.
Crews are working 16-hour shifts to complete the restoration of all customers.
The storms caused significant outages across the I&M footprint, with the greatest number of outages in east central Indiana. More than 50 broken or damaged poles and more than 50 spans of wire were recorded in the east central Indiana area alone. The storm pummeled the Marion-Muncie area for an extended period, from mid-morning to afternoon Saturday.
As I&M restored power throughout the day, the continuing storms caused additional outages. Additional storms are possible later tonight and again on Sunday, which could impede the safe restoration of power, affect estimated times of restoration and cause additional outages.
To help with prompt restoration, I&M asks our customers and the public to:
• Stay safe by staying away from downed wires and flooded areas.
• Please don’t approach our crews or trucks. Our crews appreciate the kind words of
thanks and understand why customers have questions, but their work is highly
dangerous, and asking questions can slow down restoration work.
• When driving, please move over for utility trucks and first responders. Give us enough
room to work.
• If you clean up debris, keep piles away from utility poles and other electrical equipment.
As of 9 p.m. on Saturday, about 14,000 customers were still without service. Approximate outage counts for the
following areas were:
Indiana: 13,000
• Fort Wayne area: 200
• South Bend area: 550
• Elkhart area: 550
• Muncie area: 3,400
• Marion area: 8,200
• Winchester area: 200
Michigan: 1,000
• Benton Harbor area: 400
• Buchanan area: 600
• Three Rivers area: Restored
Estimated times of restoration are when I&M expects to have at least 90% of customers
restored. Most will be restored sooner. The times for specific areas will be updated, and
customers are encouraged to use mobile alerts or check I&M’s outage map for updated ETRs.
• Fort Wayne area: 11 p.m. tonight
• South Bend area: 11 p.m. Sunday
• Elkhart area: 7 p.m. Sunday
• East Central Indiana (includes Muncie, Marion, Winchester areas): 11 p.m. Sunday
• Buchanan area: 11 p.m. Sunday
There is more rain to plan around on Sunday, with a round of showers and storms in the morning and another round in the afternoon and evening.
Next week is milder and less humid.
Your ABC 57 First Warning Neighborhood Weather Center Forecast:
Saturday: Storms and showers early. Hot and very humid. High 92.
Sunday: Showers and storms. High 86.
Monday: Partly cloudy. High 80.
