Work continues on restoring electric service to those who lost it in this week’s storms. Indiana Michigan Power spokesperson Schnee Garrett tells WSJM News most of the Berrien County customers who lost power Monday night and Tuesday morning lost it because of the flooded substation in Bridgman.
“That affected more than 17,000 customers at the peak, and so today our crews have been performing time consuming work in the hot temperatures to restore customers who lost their service on Tuesday morning,” Garrett said.
I&M was working to set up a mobile substation while the Bridgman location was dealt with. Garrett said the latest estimates from I&M were for most Berrien County customers to have power back by the end of Wednesday. The problem was that more storms were expected, and that created uncertainty. She asked for patience.
“Before power can actually be restored, crews first assess the damage and determine which personnel is needed, equipment that is needed, and other supplies that are needed to make repairs.”
Garrett said I&M crews as of late afternoon Wednesday had found 12 broken poles and four damaged transformers. They were working in 16 hour shifts. I&M had more than 350 workers out and about Wednesday with another 100 on the way from other utility companies in Ohio and the Appalachian region.
