As of 4:00 p.m., an estimated 4,800 Cloverland Electric Cooperative members are without power as a result of Winter Storm Dorothy. The wet, heavy snow and high wind gusts are continuing to cause widespread issues across the co-op’s five-county service area. Power has already been restored to nearly 12,000 affected services since the storm hit early this morning.
Outage counts remained steady throughout the day but quickly escalated mid-day to over 10,000 for a brief period when the transmission line serving the Eastern Upper Peninsula experienced a momentary fault.
Line crews will continue working late into evening hours but stop for a mandatory eight-hour safety rest and will resume operations early Thursday morning.
Besides its own line crews, Cloverland Electric has requested mutual aid support from other Michigan electric utilities.
“We greatly appreciate our members’ patience as our line crews are working diligently to restore power as safely and quickly as possible under extremely challenging conditions,” said Cloverland’s President and CEO Mike Heise.
The co-op expects outage numbers to fluctuate as the storm continues into the evening. Cloverland Electric encourages members to report outages, downed lines, and trees on lines that have resulted from the storm.
Those who depend on electricity for medical equipment should activate their emergency back-up plan for alternate sources of power or alternate lodging. Members with unmet, non-emergency needs should call 2-1-1.
If using a portable generator during an outage, members are reminded to never operate a generator in an enclosed area or fuel it while it is running. For the safety of our line crews, never connect generators directly to your home’s wiring. A special transfer switch installed by a licensed electrician is required to prevent the reverse flow of electricity onto the power lines.
Cloverland Electric reminds the public to stay safe and stay clear of downed power lines and report them by calling (800) 562-4953 or local law enforcement agencies. Those with access to Cloverland Electric's website and Cloverland Electric’s Facebook page can stay current on restoration efforts and the latest updates available. However, the co-op reminds its members not to use Facebook or other social media platforms to report outages, post service addresses, or other account information.
Cloverland Electric Cooperative is a not-for-profit, member-owned utility located in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. It serves over 42,000 homes and businesses in Chippewa, Delta, Mackinac, Luce, and Schoolcraft counties.