DETROIT – With reports of this severe weather on the way, DTE is making sure they’re more than prepared -- especially knowing most families are inside because of the stay-at-home order.
Heavy Winds reaching up to 50 miles per hour are expected to sweep through parts of Southeast Michigan Monday.
Vice President of Distribution Operations at DTE, Ryan Stowe says before the outages come, the energy company is being proactive in a variety of ways.
“We've got first responders ready to get out there and help triage and figure out what's really going on out there so we can get an address and take care of,” said Stowe.
Which includes having extra crews on standby hoping for the best and preparing for the worst.
“We have an additional 300 linemen that are coming in from out of state that will be here tomorrow to help us respond. Ultimate will have well in excess of 1,000 linemen being ready to work on restoration tomorrow, as well as hundreds and hundreds of other employees from across DTE ready to support respond,” said Stowe.
But because of the pandemic that we’re in -- workers have to also practice social distancing, so you can expect to see more Trucks out on the road than usual.
We’ve been preparing our workforce and our processes to be able to handle kind of this new normal for everybody. So you might see that some outages, we may see, you know, five or six different vehicles responding to travel location. So those extra vehicles are just so that our folks can travel safe,” added Stowe.
If you just so happen to have an issue with your power, make sure DTE they’re the first number you call.
“You can report those hazards and outages, through our DTE Energy mobile app, or through our website, as well as calling in to our 800 number,” concluded Stowe.
DTE’s downed power line hotline is 1800-477-4747.
How to check the outage map
You can find the DTE Outage Map here or on the DTE Energy app.
If you see a downed power line:
- Call DTE Energy immediately at 800-477-4747
- Assume the wire is hot. Just because there aren't sparks, doesn't mean the line isn't carrying electricity.
- Don't touch a fallen power line or anything touching the wire. Always stay 25 feet away from a downed power line.
- Do not touch anything or anyone in contact with a fallen power line.
- Stay away from water near downed power lines, even small puddles.
- If a fallen power line comes in contact with your vehicle, STAY INSIDE until help arrives. If you must leave, jump clear of the vehicle.
- Be careful not to stand under damaged tree limbs or power lines
- Be especially cautious near metal fences around the area.