LANSING, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – Governor Gretchen Whitmer Monday declared a state of emergency in ten counties after activating the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) to respond to the damaging ice storms in northern Michigan. She says the SEOC has been monitoring the situation closely and working with state and local officials over the weekend, ensuring affected northern Michigan residents receive the support and relief they need.
Meantime Consumers Energy crews continue to tackle restoration work after three waves of severe weather swept through Michigan over the weekend, including the ice storm in the northern portion of the state and severe thunderstorms in the south, with wind gusts up to 90 mph in some locations.
More than 700 crews are spread between the two regions working 24 hours a day until every customer is restored.
“The severity of the weather we saw over the weekend—from ice-coated branches entangling lines up north to high winds uprooting trees in the south—has been a test not only for our lineworkers, but our customers as well,” said Norm Kapala, one of Consumers Energy’s officers in charge for the event. “While we know we’ve got a lot of work ahead of us, we also know that job number one is getting the lights back on as quickly and as safely as possible. Our customers can count on us to work 24/7 until that happens.”
Ice story damage in northern Michigan March 29, 2025 (photo courtesy of Gary Skory)
Consumers Energy says they began preparing for the series of storms early last week, moving crews and equipment into place in northern Michigan Friday afternoon and Saturday morning ahead of the ice storm, allowing for significant progress to be made on those restorations before the third storm wave passed through the lower portion of the state.
They are monitoring and preparing for another round of storms anticipated Wednesday with potential for additional freezing rain and hazardous wind gusts.
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