Power restoration could take days

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) - Wisconsin Public Service and We Energies say power outages are widespread and they will work around the clock to get the power back on after Wednesday’s powerful storms.

In an update just before noon, We Energies and Wisconsin Public Service announced they had restored power to more than 73,000 customers. There are many more to go.

“Communities around the Fox Valley and Green Bay are those hardest hit by the storms. Customers in these areas should be prepared for a multi-day restoration effort,” says WPS spokesman Matt Cullen.

Storms knocked out power to nearly 160,000 customers. Crews have found substantial damage with more than 1,000 reports of downed trees, snapped power lines, and broken utility poles.

Do not go near downed power lines. Stay at least 25 feet away from them as they may be energized.

Report downed lines to your local law enforcement. CLICK HERE for safety tips.

WPS outage map: https://www.wisconsinpublicservice.com/outagesummary/view/outagegrid

We Energies outage map: https://www.we-energies.com/outagemapext/#

The National Weather Service confirmed an EF1 tornado touched down in Seymour in Outagamie County.

The Oconto Electric Cooperative hoped to have 95 percent of outages restored by the end of Thursday.

“Abrams and Stiles areas seem to have been hit the hardest,” reads a statement from the utility.

Wisconsin Public Service is urging people to report outages right away using the WPS mobile app so they can pinpoint the problem faster and send a crew to fix it. We Energies has an app as well. Their mobile apps are also a great place to get updates from the utilities directly, so power outage alerts and updates can be sent to your phone.

“The thing to keep in mind anytime throughout the year again is, if you’ve experienced an outage make sure to report it to us. Use our app or use our website WisconsinPublicService.com or call us as well, because letting us know about an outage helps us pinpoint exactly where that damage is, who’s affected by that particular outage. So it helps our crews be able to respond can safely and quickly to make repairs and restore power to our customers,” Cullen said.

He said everyone should have a plan in place before severe weather hits, including an emergency kit with water, food, charging packs for electronics, a weather radio, flashlights, and even some quick-release ice packs because the air-conditioning will go out if the power does.

“We understand that customers may have a generator that they keep at home for severe weather situations or if they would experience an outage. And if customers do decide to run their generator we want to remind them that they need to run that generator outdoors in a well-ventilated area to prevent the possibility of carbon monoxide from building up inside their homes. We want to get one that generator outdoors well-ventilated area so it is operating safely,” he emphasized.

RELATED: Severe Weather Safety information for thunderstorms, floods, tornadoes, extreme heat, and what you need in a weather emergency kit.

INITIAL REPORT

The number of homes and businesses without power continued to climb late Wednesday night even as the storms that ripped up trees and ripped down power lines moved away over Lake Michigan.

Wisconsin Public Service and We Energies together reported more than 110,000 customers without power at 10:30 Wednesday night.

WPS reported outages affecting more than 50,000 customers in its service area from Wausau to the Northwoods, Oshkosh to the Lakeshore, Sheboygan to Marinette. These included almost 17,000 homes and businesses in Green Bay, another 8,800 in neighboring Howard, and nearly all its customers in Coleman and Niagara.

We Energies reported more than 56,000 customers literally in the dark. Almost 20,000 were in Outagamie County. It also included about 60% of customers in Waupaca County and nearly all We Energies customers in Seymour, Oneida, Hortonville, Pulaski and Dale.

WPS said Wednesday night it had all available crews working to restore power and bringing in additional, outside repair crews. WPS said its people would be working around the clock to restore power.

People are reminded to stay at least 25 feet away from downed power lines. A line that isn’t sparking or smoking could still be energized.

WPS outage map: https://www.wisconsinpublicservice.com/outagesummary/view/outagegrid

We Energies outage map: https://www.we-energies.com/outagemapext/#

Earlier, Wisconsin Public Service spokesman Matt Cullen said crews were working near the Wausau area to restore power to 7,000 customers there before the storms made it to our area.

The utility has crews on standby as the stormy weather continues to develop. Cullen says they’re taking inventory to make sure they have what they need to restore power to customers as quickly and safely as they can.

Wisconsin Public Service is urging people to report outages right away using the WPS mobile app so they can pinpoint the problem faster and send a crew to fix it. We Energies has an app as well. Their mobile apps are also a great place to get updates from the utilities directly, so power outage alerts and updates can be sent to your phone.

“The thing to keep in mind anytime throughout the year again is, if you’ve experienced an outage make sure to report it to us. Use our app or use our website WisconsinPublicService.com or call us as well, because letting us know about an outage helps us pinpoint exactly where that damage is, who’s affected by that particular outage. So it helps our crews be able to respond can safely and quickly to make repairs and restore power to our customers,” Cullen said.

He said everyone should have a plan in place before severe weather hits, including an emergency kit with water, food, charging packs for electronics, a weather radio, flashlights, and even some quick-release ice packs because the air-conditioning will go out if the power does.

“We understand that customers may have a generator that they keep at home for severe weather situations or if they would experience an outage. And if customers do decide to run their generator we want to remind them that they need to run that generator outdoors in a well-ventilated area to prevent the possibility of carbon monoxide from building up inside their homes. We want to get one that generator outdoors well-ventilated area so it is operating safely,” he emphasized.

RELATED: Severe Weather Safety information for thunderstorms, floods, tornadoes, extreme heat, and what you need in a weather emergency kit.

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