I&M understands the inconvenience of being without power, especially on Thanksgiving. Crews are out in full force, and additional assistance arrived this morning to help restore power as soon as possible.

Yesterday’s winds exceeded forecasts, with gusts exceeding 60mph across I&M. Benton Harbor peaked at 63mph, Fort Wayne at 61, and Muncie at 62. Outage numbers peaked at 13,000 yesterday, but more than 22,000 customers were affected in total as winds continued throughout the day. More than 90% of all customers have been restored. Approximately 1,200 remain without power, and we’ll continue to work until everyone’s lights are back on.

Muncie is fully restored, and those crews moved up to assist the Fort Wayne area this morning. As the South Bend and Elkhart districts finish up, those crews are moving to assist in Southwest Michigan.

SAFETY INFO

Please be aware of some potential hazards:

• Continue to watch for downed power lines. Stay away from any downed wires and report them to I&M.  You can call us at 800-311-4634, report on our app or website, or call 911.
• Some trees could still fall or drop limbs at any moment; please look up and stay out of the line of fire of damaged trees.
• Limbs, leaves and objects moved by the wind could hide downed wires. Investigate your surroundings before trying to clean up any debris.
• Roads may still be slick and strewn with debris.
• Some traffic lights may not be functioning. Treat all such intersections as stop signs.
• Please use extra caution on all roadways, especially with the increased holiday traffic.
• Watch for utility workers and first responders at the side of the road and slow down near work areas.
• Before using a generator or a portable heater, be sure to review the manufacturers’ instructions.
• Generators release carbon monoxide as exhaust; never run a generator in the house or near an open window.
• Refuel heaters, lamps, and generators outside, and stay away from any flames or sparks. Wipe up fuel spills immediately.
• Never burn charcoal indoors. It releases carbon monoxide.

OUTAGE NUMBERS

The approximate number of outages in Indiana and Michigan areas as of 9:30 a.m. are:

Indiana Total Customer Outages: 600

Fort Wayne area: fewer than 400

Muncie/Marion area: Fully restored

South Bend/Elkhart area: approximately 200

Michigan Total Customer Outages: 600

Benton Harbor area: approximately 300

Buchanan area: fewer than 200

Three Rivers area: 100

ESTIMATED RESTORATION TIMES (ETRs)

Indiana

South Bend –100% by noon today

Elkhart – 100% by noon today

Fort Wayne – all but two outages restored by 4:00 p.m. today. The two outages extending beyond 4 p.m. involve multiple broken poles loaded with equipment or in hard-to-access areas, and affect ~275 customers total.

Michigan

All districts –100% restored by noon today

STAY INFORMED

I&M encourages customers to use the Indiana Michigan Power app to monitor the status of any outage affecting your home or business. IndianaMichiganPower.com/App

You can sign up for text and email alerts on the app or at IndianaMichiganPower.com/Alerts

See the location and status of outages using our outage map at IndianaMichiganPower.com/OutageMap

For the latest updates please follow Indiana Michigan Power on Facebook and find us on Twitter @IN_MI_Power