Cloverland Electric Battles Historic Extended Multi-Day Outage — Update 3

Dafter, Michigan — Cloverland Electric Cooperative reports approximately 14,500 outages remaining across its service territory. Over 10,000 of these outages are in Chippewa County where line crews are assisted by seven mutual aid crews from downstate. Due to heavy snow load and ice on trees and power lines, progress has been slow. However, outage numbers decreased from the high of over 18,000 Tuesday morning.

Outages remain in over 300 locations primarily in the eastern end of the co-op’s service territory, so restoration times are unknown for this extended multi-day event. Crews will work into the night until mandatory safety rest is required. Restoration efforts will resume in the early morning hours of New Year’s Day.

“Mother Nature has not been very kind to us lately,” says Cloverland President and CEO Mike Heise. “Within the last 30 days or so, we’ve been hit with two storm systems reeling heavy snow and ice which never mixes well with power lines. Unfortunately, this outage event may be a historical record for Cloverland in terms of volume and duration.”

Due to the storm’s severity, Heise notes that members should prepare to be without power for several days as power may not be fully restored until the weekend. “We have mutual aid support crews from lower Michigan assisting our lines crews, but it’s a slow, arduous process. Some of these outages have multiple downed lines and fallen trees obstructing access which lengthens the timeline to restore power. We sent out the call for help, and we are fortunate that the brotherhood of line workers responded without hesitation,” he says.

As communicated Monday, Cloverland Electric members need to consider alternate arrangements as necessary to ensure their safety during this extended outage that will take multiple days to restore. Those who depend on electricity for medical equipment should continue an emergency back-up plan for alternate sources of power or alternate lodging. Members with unmet, non-emergency needs should call 2-1-1.

“We know that going without power is extremely difficult, particularly overnight with no certainty of restoration times. We appreciate the understanding of our members and their kind words, patience, and support through social media and beyond,” Heise adds.

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. Members with access to Cloverland Electric's website and Cloverland Electric’s Facebook page can stay current on restoration efforts and planned updates at 6 a.m./10 a.m./ 2 p.m./6 p.m./10 p.m. 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.