Dearborn hard-hit as 140,000 customers remain without power

DEARBORN, Mich. (FOX 2) - A neighborhood in Dearborn is good example of why DTE Energy's restoration efforts can take a while. 
  
Tree limbs on wires that are simply hard to get to. Slowly but surely, DTE says the lights are coming back on. 

Yvonne Hudak had a downed line hanging in her driveway Monday.

"I was sitting on the front porch and I saw that happen and I ran inside and then all of a sudden my whole house is dark," she said.

It did more that knock her power out Saturday. 

“I looked outside and there was smoke coming up so I called 911," she said.

An arcing wire caused a minor garage fire. A view from the other side showed the problem - as downed trees needed to be trimmed

“There are about two and a half blocks of wire down affecting about 1,200 customers,” said Heather Rivard, senior VP electric distribution DTE. 

DTE says what’s happening in the south end Dearborn neighborhood is a microcosm of what's happening to a lot of affected areas. Often they don't know the extent of the problem until they arrive on scene. 

“They will have to climb every pole in order to do the repair work for accessing the lines with bucket trucks," Rivard said. 

Down the road hundreds living at the Hubbard Senior Complex have been without power since Saturday as well - coping the best they can.  The hum of generators is only powering a portion of the building. 

"The elevator and emergency lights," said one resident.

Meanwhile the community is making the best of the situation had a complex grill-out.

"Whatever they got in their freezers," one of the residents said.

While DTE says it is using every resource at their disposal to get things fixed as soon as possible. 

“We do have 1,100 employees and contractors working in the field in various capacities to help with restoration. we also have 800 line workers from as far as Georgia and New York.”

DTE says they are confident 90 percent of those still without power will have the lights on by the end of the day Tuesday. The rest will have power by Wednesday.