DTE Energy Post-Storm: Key Numbers from the Michigan Outage

Do you really live in Michigan if you haven't complained, or heard someone complain about having DTE Energy?

Seriously, they have to be one of the most unreliable energy companies out there, and in Southeast Michigan, they're your only option. According to their website, they distribute electricity to 2.3 million customers in southeastern Michigan. This reddit thread has over a hundred comments of people trying to find another option.

This summer alone, my power has gone out multiple times for various reasons: wind, heat, fires, rain—you name it. Tuesday night was no different when a severe thunderstorm hit the area. My power was out by 5:30 p.m. and has yet to be restored.

Trust me, I know I’m not alone in this. WXYZ has done a great job keeping an ongoing tally of the number of DTE users affected by the storm.

According to their initial report around 6 p.m., 90,000 customers were without power. By the time the online news conference with DTE was held around 8:15 p.m., that number had climbed to upwards of 200,000.

On Wednesday morning, WXYZ sent multiple news crews out to cover the damage. They reported that over 1,000 power lines across Metro Detroit have been knocked down and urged everyone to be extremely careful around downed lines; those that seem dormant are just as dangerous as those that are actively sparking.

DTE reports that thousands of teams are currently deployed to restore power, with an additional 800 crew members on their way from across the Midwest. Many of these reinforcements were expected to arrive late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning.

However, many people are still not expected to have power until Thursday or Friday.

If you're experiencing an outage yourself, you can stay up-to-date on your power situation by using DTE's outage status portal.