Nearly 600,000 DTE customers affected by storms

DETROIT – Nearly half a million homes and businesses are without power across Metro Detroit after intense rain, strong winds and dangerous heat.

Consumers Energy reported 110,000 customers did not have power, and DTE Energy reported 350,000 customers are without electricity. 

DTE said the storms almost broke a record and this is the second largest power outage in the company's history. 

UPDATE: DTE Energy: 250,000 remain without power Monday morning

RELATED: Crews working to restore power after severe storms rip through southeast Michigan

The David family lives in Dearborn, near the intersection of Cherry Hill and Military streets. They told Local 4 they lose power about once a year and they want answers from DTE.

With the heat index hitting triple digits this weekend, the Davids said it was unbearable in their home. When they contacted DTE, they said they received an automated response. 

DTE said close to 600,000 customers lost power and it has 1,100 crews working around the clock to restore power. 450 workers are being brought in from around the country to assist. 

Power is expected to be restored to 90 percent of all customers by the end of Tuesday, and the last 10 percent should be being restored Wednesday. That's for DTE customers. Consumers Energy has not offered a timetable for restoration.

The Davids are worried about their cats and tropical fish -- and about $100 worth of groceries spoiling in the fridge. They said they're fed up with the ongoing outages.

How to stay safe 

Firefighters are urging people to stay safe. Crews will be working around the clock to get the power restored. In the meantime, here are a few things you can do to stay safe and cool.

• Drink a lot of water.
• If you've lost power and don't have air conditioning, look for cooling shelters in your area.
• Keep the blinds closed, and look for shady areas where you can relax.
• You can also monitor outages in your area using the DTE outage app. 

Keep an eye out for severe weather alerts and the radar here: 

• Michigan Weather Radar page
• Metro Detroit Weather Radar page
• Grand Rapids Weather Radar page
• Find all weather forecasts and news at ClickOnDetroit.com/WeatherCenter.
• Check current Weather Alerts here.