Indiana Michigan Power crews continued restoration efforts Friday following Thursday night’s severe storms, with more than 70% of affected customers having power restored.
The utility reported approximately 16,500 customers remained without electricity at 8 a.m. Saturday, down significantly from the peak outage totals following the storms.
Most customers across Indiana Michigan Power’s service territory have had service restored, although restoration work continues in some of the hardest-hit areas. The utility expects most customers in the Three Rivers area to have power restored by 6 p.m. Friday, while most customers in the Elkhart area are expected to have service restored by 11 p.m.
The largest concentration of remaining outages is in Elkhart and South Bend, where extensive tree damage has complicated restoration efforts and slowed access to damaged equipment.
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About 1,200 restoration workers are currently assigned to the recovery effort, with additional crews from neighboring utilities arriving to assist.
Indiana Michigan Power said crews worked throughout the night repairing damaged infrastructure and assessing storm damage. Utility officials acknowledged that some customers have been without power for an extended period and apologized for the length of the outages.
As of Friday morning, Elkhart County accounted for the largest number of outages with 13,629 customers still without service. South Bend had 1,530 customers without power. In southwest Michigan, 713 customers remained without electricity, including 689 in the Three Rivers area.
Utility officials are also urging homeowners to inspect their electrical service entrances for damage. If customer-owned equipment has been damaged, power cannot be restored until repairs are completed by a licensed electrician.
Residents are reminded to stay away from downed power lines and any objects they may be touching. Hazardous conditions should be reported to Indiana Michigan Power or local law enforcement.
