Thousands Still Without Power in Saginaw County

Thousands of homes and businesses in Saginaw County are still without power after storms ripped through the state Saturday, July 20.

Saturday’s storm consisted of fierce winds, lightning, hail and flooding rains. Consumers Energy says nearly 46,000 customers across the state remain affected by outages. As of 4:30 a.m. Monday, July 22, power has been restored to 173,000 homes after the storm knocked power out to more than 220,000. Spokesman Guy Packard says the utility company’s priority over the next 16 hours is to take advantage of ideal weather to get the power restored, which he says will be finished by the end of Tuesday, July 23.

Areas currently impacted by outages include the Frankemuth area, Birch Run, Albee Township, Buena Vista Township, Bridgeport Township and the Saint Charles area, with other scattered outages reported throughout the County. Multiple locations throughout Genesee county are also affected.

As Consumers crews continue to clean up and restore power, officials have a few reminders. If you see a downed power line, stay at least 25 feet away from it and call 9-1-1 or the Consumers hotline at (800) 477-5050. Anyone looking to connect with a temporary shelter or obtain other resources is urged to call 2-1-1, which can direct you to assistance in your community. Never use a generator near air intakes, in an attached garage or anywhere inside a house as carbon monoxide can quickly build up. Remember to slow down and move over for crews working along the sides of roads who may be working on power lines or trimming trees to remove potential hazards.

For more information, visit the Consumers Energy website.