LANSING — According to Lansing Board of Water & Light General Manager Dick Peffley, some customers who experienced outages during the night-time storms might not see their electricity restored until Wednesday, May 21.
A late-night line of storms that traversed the Lansing area left more than 32,000 customers in the area without power That figure reached approximately 30,000 by 3 p.m. on May 16.
Intense thunderstorms that triggered tornado alerts across multiple areas during the night of May 15 and into the early morning of May 16 led to strong gusts and substantial rainfall. These conditions resulted in widespread power failures, which in turn forced numerous schools to close down.
Across the state, over 223,000 customers experienced disruptions due to the storms. By 3 p.m. on May 16, Consumers Energy reported approximately 17,500 customers in the greater Lansing area were still without electricity. The company anticipated restoring power to Lansing-area customers by Saturday, May 17.
On Friday morning, May 16, BWL initially reported around 24,000 customers without electricity, with an expected restoration date of May 21. However, by 3 p.m., this figure had dropped to approximately 12,200 affected customers.
Earlier on May 16, Peffley stated that favorable weather conditions might enable the crew to reconnect power for up to 10,000 customers by the end of the day.
He remarked, 'That would make for a great day.'
However, Peffley mentioned that significant damage occurred in Delta Township, Lansing, and East Lansing, and it would require some time for teams to completely reinstate electricity. The anticipated additional thunderstorms on May 16 could further complicate these recovery endeavors because, due to safety concerns, workers must cease operations during lightning flashes or gusts exceeding 30 mph.
BWL said it would prioritize hospitals, urgent care facilities, water pumping facilities, police and fire departments, wastewater treatment plants and pumping stations. After those services are restored, the utility will restore service to circuits with the largest number of customers before addressing smaller pockets of outages.
Lansing Mayor Andy Schor said he anticipated seeking a disaster declaration to access funds for recovery, to help compensate for the overtime from city and utility workers.
Drivers were encouraged to use Kalamazoo Street or Lake Lansing Road to move east to west across the region, as East Grand River Avenue was closed in spots and Saginaw Street had numerous lights out. Michigan Avenue between University of Michigan Health-Sparrow Hospital and East Lansing is under construction.
The most significant effects in the Lansing region were power interruptions and tree destruction. According to Rob Dale, the deputy emergency manager for Ingham County, approximately 10% to 20% of Ingham County remained without electricity on Friday morning. He also mentioned that there were no reports of injuries or substantial harm to buildings.
"The significant issue will be the power outages," he stated.
He mentioned that some of the most severe damages seemed to concentrate in Eaton County, notably following a path from Vermontville through Potterville to Delta Township. The National Weather Service crew was anticipated to examine the destruction in that area. In the afternoon, according to Dale.
A new series of storms was anticipated for Friday evening, May 16, however, these were not predicted to be as intense as the ones from the previous night.
Dale advised residents to ensure they keep their distance from power lines. He mentioned that even seemingly inactive ones can become live again unexpectedly during repair work.
Fonda Brewer, who serves as the supervisor for Delta Township, mentioned that their community experienced significant damage due to large fallen trees and disrupted power lines.
"If you caught that emergency alert last night, I trust you were attentive since this was not just a drill," stated Brewer.
Throughout the Lansing region, emergency services noted that fallen trees and branches had occurred, leading to several roads being temporarily closed during the night due to obstructions and downed electrical wires.
MORE: Was the tornado through the Lansing region? The NWS has dispatched survey teams to assess the situation.
Consumer's Energy had more than 6,250 customers in the Lansing area without power, and more than 189,000 customers were affected statewide. Much of the damage was in West Michigan.
DTE Energy, serving customers in the Lansing area from locations such as Webberville, Williamston, and regions extending eastward alongside Interstate 96, reported over 600 affected Lansing-based consumers lacking electricity, with approximately 9,000 outages across the state. By 3 p.m. on May 16th, this figure had dropped to around 375. The company did not provide estimated restoration times through their website.
Moreover, Homeworks Tri-County Electric, a cooperative serving rural regions near Lansing, indicated on their online outage map that approximately 1,525 members had experienced power outages as of then, with over 800 affected within the Lansing area. By 3 p.m. on May 16, the co-op reported that roughly 60 customers in the Lansing vicinity remained without electricity.
Multiple institutions such as Lansing Community College East and East Lansing called off their classes on May 16 due to electrical issues, with the Lansing School District also deciding to cancel lessons across various schools.
Andy Kilpatrick, who serves as the public works director for Lansing, mentioned that the city has fielded approximately 60 reports regarding downed trees, branches, or other impediments within rights-of-way. He also noted that this number likely underestimates the total incidents since numerous cases have yet to be officially documented.
Near Lansing's Groesbeck Golf Course — which also sustained damage — city officials addressed both residents and reporters on Mahlon Street, where access had been restricted due to the situation.
Rico Harris spread his tarot cards across the hood of a car as the officials concluded their press briefing.
"An encouraging indication," Harris remarked, examining the cards that he mentioned were showing promising signs of recuperation and positive news.
Harris said he was enjoying watching the lightning show the evening before until it became more serious.
"There was a vivid flash of greenish-blue light, and we thought it might be an electric issue," Harris stated, as he picked up his nephews and they all headed to the basement for safety.
A number of trees toppled onto residences and vehicles along the road, with one landing on Hope Perez's son's automobile.
She mentioned, 'It became pitch black, similar to what you might imagine during a storm when everything goes dim, yet here we couldn’t discern even a thing.'
Perez mentioned that she could hear the wind's whistle and the scattered debris outside, but had to wait over an hour before it was safe enough for her to take a better look and assess the extent of the destruction.
The article initially appeared in the Lansing State Journal. BWL: It might take until May 21 for full power restoration following the storm that devastated the area.
