FORT WAYNE, Ind. (Press Release): Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) continues to restore power to those impacted by Monday night’s severe winds. I&M has restored power to about 50% of the 40,700 customers who lost service. As of 1 p.m., 21,800 customers are without power, a majority of those customers are in the hard-hit areas of southwest Fort Wayne and Waynedale.
More than 1,200 line workers, forestry experts, assessors, contractors, support crews and mutual assistance personnel are restoring power and will work 16-hour days, in the heat, to ensure all impacted customers are returned to service. Hindering restoration efforts in Fort Wayne are large trees blocking roads, significant damage to power poles and power lines causing extensive repair work, damage in hard-to-reach areas, and the heat. Once workers complete restoration in other areas they will travel to Fort Wayne to assist in restoring power.
The record-breaking storm caused significant damage across I&M’s electrical system in northeast Indiana and southwest Michigan. I&M damage assessors, using drones, discovered:
- Approximately 275 broken and damaged poles
- Nearly 40 damaged transformers
- More than 570 individual spans of downed wires
Power is expected to be restored by 11 p.m. Thursday for Fort Wayne area customers, by 11 p.m. Wednesday for Avilla customers and by 3 p.m. today for Decatur customers.
