“I’m pleased to announce all customers who can draw power from the Lansing Board of Water & Light (BWL) can now do so. This means we’re fully restored, with the exception of those customers who may require service reconnects due to damaged masts – the vertical pole attached to the house that connects power from the pole to the meter – which we’ll continue to work on. Last Thursday night’s storm was unprecedented with damage, outages, and costs exceeding that of the December 2013 ice storm. This storm was unique in that its straight-line, high-velocity winds toppled trees, damaged 65 poles, and downed 835 wires. 

The major difference is we restored power in six days, less than half the time it took in 2013. I’m especially proud of the more than 100 tree and line crews – BWL employees and mutual aid crews from all over Michigan and across the Midwest alike – who worked tirelessly to restore power. I’m also very proud of our emergency management team who strategically deployed these incredible resources along with the BWL employees who worked 24/7 to communicate to our customers.”