Severe weather disrupts power to over 80,000 customers in Metro Detroit
A line of intense thunderstorms during Wednesday evening and overnight in Metro Detroit, which included a tornado warning for St. Clair County, resulted in massive power outages across the region.
DTE's outage map showed 80,388 power interruptions at 5:50 a.m. Thursday, a scenario that had already topped 49,000 by midnight Wednesday and continued to worsen overnight. Most of those affected are in Oakland or Wayne counties; but Livingston County residents also were hit hard by power outages. DTE provides electricity to most of southeast Michigan.
Wind gusts of up to 70 mph were reported in Howell, up to 51 mph at Detroit City Airport, as the storms developed.
The storm damage includes a tree that fell on a house in Madison Heights. There was also significant storm damage reported in Center Line. Detroit Metro had some flight delays and closings. The Michigan Department of Transportation said flooding temporarily blocked lanes overnight on eastbound I-94 near Gratiot Avenue in Wayne County.
A tent was broken with some banners shredded at Campus Martius in Detroit.
The circumstances also led to traffic lights being out at intersections, downed tree limbs, and several school closings.
Power outages and food safety
If you lose power to a refrigerator or freezer, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says to keep the doors closed on those appliances. A fully stocked refrigerator can stay cold for about four hours; if the power outage lasts longer, then transfer perishable foods into a cooler stocked with ice. A freezer will keep its temperature for 24 hours if half full, or 48 hours if full.
The Michigan State University extension service has a list of commonly refrigerated foods and whether they can be saved if the power goes out.
Power outages and SNAP benefits
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says families who purchased food with SNAP assistance, but lost electricity for at least four hours due to a power outage, may be eligible to receive some of their money back.
Those impacted must contact their local MDHHS office, apply within 10 days of the outage, detail what they lost, including the dollar amount, and provide proof of power loss to receive new funds.
This is a developing news story. CBS News Detroit will continue to provide details online and on air as they are available.
