Tens of thousands of DTE customers in metro Detroit remained without power Monday, four days after strong winds and rain knocked out electricity for nearly 400,000 people Friday night.
Watch Whitney Burney’s video report:
DTE crews work around the clock on restoration on day 4 of power outages
DTE has called in crews from nearby states to work around the clock on restoration efforts. The utility says the holiday weekend and widespread outages across the Midwest created a shortage of available workers, making it a challenge to bring in outside help.
“The damage that I am seeing out in the field is some of the most extensive I have ever seen,” DTE’s Brian Calka said.
Calka explained how the company decides who gets power back first.
Brian Calka, senior vice president at DTE, speaks on restoration progress
“First and foremost, it’s about safety. We’re trying to get the wires that are on the ground remediated to remove the risk. At the same time, we’re trying to make sure that we get critical facilities back online. We’re talking pumping stations, hospitals, senior centers, dispatch centers, and then generally we look at the largest outages first,” Calka said…