When will power be restored in Southeast Michigan? When DTE expects lights to be back on for most

DTE expects 80 percent of outages restored by Thursday

A fast-moving but destructive line of storms left many in the dark after Monday night's severe weather. DTE Energy crews are out in force trying to get the power back on.

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Hundreds of thousands of people were left in the dark after storms rolled through Southeast Michigan on Monday and the outages are expected to stretch through the week.

More: How to check the DTE Outage Map

As DTE Energy works to get the lights back on, crews from around the United States are coming to help. On Tuesday morning, crews were securing more than 3,300 downed power lines, assessing damage, and starting the restoration process.

Read: What to do if you see a downed power line

The utility company said it expects to restore power to 80% of its customers by Thursday night. While exact repair timelines aren't available, DTE provides estimates. See your estimated repair time here or call 800-477-4747.

DTE held a press conference at 2:30 p.m. to provide more information on the outage which they said was due to trees on private property.

DTE President says power to be restored for most by Thursday

DTE is working to restore power to more than 260,000 people after Monday's severe weather. But the company president says their first step is to make sure the public is safe around power lines.

Check the latest power outage updates here.

DTE restores power based on a priority schedule, so your power may come back sooner or after your estimated window.

The first priority is hospitals, nursing homes, police departments, fire stations, sanitary-pumping facilities, and radio and television stations.

Once power is restored to these buildings, crews begin restoring power to home and business, beginning with areas that have the most customers without power.

Residents affected by power outages can apply for credit

Under rules employed by the Michigan Public Service Commission, if someone has lost power for more than 16 hours they are eligible for a $25 credit to recoup losses. Here are other eligibility requirements.