60,000+ DTE customers without power after Thursday's storms

DTE power outage update

DTE Energy provided an update on power restoration efforts after storms knocked out electricity for tens of thousands of customers in Metro Detroit.

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Thunderstorms and strong winds knocked out power for tens of thousands of DTE Energy customers Thursday.

Joe Musallam, the vice president of distribution operations for DTE, said that about 90,000 people lost power from the storms. Many of these outages were caused by fallen trees and branches.

As of 11:50 a.m. Friday, more than 60,000 customers are without power.

"We're laser-focused on the remaining 3% that are out of power," he said.

Musallam said many single addresses lost power, as opposed to clusters. This complicates restoration efforts.

'We've come to expect it': Weathering another Michigan power outage

It's almost expected at this point. When a storm rolls into Southeast Michigan, it's not a question of if there will be power outages - but when. DTE says they expect most outages to be restored by Saturday.

"It's one customer per crew," he said.

When many customers lose power, DTE first works to restore power to critical infrastructure, such as police and fire departments, hospitals, and pumping stations. Then, large clusters of outages are handled. Finally, single outages are addressed.

DTE estimates that 80% of impacted customers will have their power restored by the end of the day Friday.

To prevent a single outage in the future, Musallam said to keep trees trimmed back away from wires and avoid planting trees too close to power lines.

Check the DTE outage map and report an outage here.

Powerful storms lead to Warren house fire

Thunderstorms Thursday toppled a tree that brought down a power line and caused a house fire.

What to do if you see a downed wire:

If there is an emergency, such as a fire or you see a power line on an unoccupied car, first call 911 then call the power company. DTE Energy can be reached at 800-477-4747. Consumers Energy can be reached at 800-477-5050.

For non-emergency situations, you can report the wire to DTE online here.

Stay at least 20 feet from the wires. Do not touch the power lines or use an object to touch them. Do not drive over downed wires. Also, avoid touching anything the wire touches, such as a fence or a puddle.

Be sure to keep pets and children away from the lines, too.

If you are inside your vehicle and a wire falls on it, DTE says to stay inside and call 911.

However, if you must get out of the vehicle, DTE advises removing loose clothing, and getting out without touching the frame. Jump with your feet together to avoid touching the vehicle and ground at the same time. Do not remove your feet until you are at least 20 feet away from the vehicle.