Dafter, Michigan — Cloverland Electric Cooperative has nearly recovered from widespread outages due to high winds and heavy snow from Winter Storm Dorothy. After a peak of about 10,000 outages Wednesday and fluctuating outages in the 5,000 range on Thanksgiving, numbers decreased below 25 Saturday afternoon. Over a four-day period, crews restored over 21,000 outages that included 12 pole replacements and repairs to over 200 line sections in the co-op’s five-county service territory.
“I want to extend a heartfelt thanks to our very patient and understanding co-op members who endured such extended outages over the holiday,” said Cloverland’s President and CEO Mike Heise. “I am proud to work among a team dedicated to serving our members – from our line crews, system controllers, member services representatives, and administrators.”
All available crews from the co-op’s five divisions worked through the holiday. Line crews began outage restoration early Wednesday morning to repair extensive damage that included downed lines, trees on lines, and broken poles. Line crews worked 16-hour days from Wednesday through Friday and were supported by mutual aid crews from Bay City Electric Light & Power and HomeWorks Tri-County Electric Cooperative. Crews continued storm recovery efforts on Saturday while bracing for the next storm ahead.
With more high winds and heavy snowfall forecasted in the upcoming storm for Sunday, Cloverland Electric members should anticipate outages and extended restoration times given the heavy snow and ice on trees from the Thanksgiving storm. The co-op encourages its members to charge mobile devices, add the co-op’s phone number (800) 562-4953 to mobile contact lists and download the free SmartHub app for reporting outages quickly and easily.
Cloverland Electric reminds the public to stay safe and stay clear of downed power lines and report them to (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.