Onaway, Michigan (March 31, 2025) -The severe ice storm that swept through the northern territory and delivered heavy ice caused widespread damage to trees, powerlines, poles, and infrastructure. Thirty-five thousand Presque Isle Electric & Gas (PIE&G) members do not have power or internet access. Members should plan on a multi-day outage that could extend 5+ days and should make alternative shelter arrangements.

“This ice storm and continued weather has not only had a widespread impact on our main distribution system to your homes and business, but it had a large impact on the transmission system which powers our substations.  Many of the PIE&G substations are currently without power.” says Allan Berg, president and CEO. “Our fiber internet is also down for our service area.  Our team and emergency support are working as quickly and safely as possible to remove debris and make repairs, but the damage is widespread, and full restoration of all members will take an extended period of time.  Please prepare to seek warmth and shelter and please have plans for 5 or more days.  We hope to have some of the system restored sooner, but many members will experience an extended outage.    As much as we prepare for outages, having infrastructure damage to this extent will take a lot of time and resources to restore.  We greatly appreciate the emergency support, our dedicated team members, and the understanding of our membership during this challenging time.”

Members are urged to prepare for outages that will last multiple days as the infrastructure is repaired. PIE&G crews, contractors, and mutual aid are doing their best to clear the roads, fix lines and poles, and make repairs safely and efficiently. Many roads are still impassable. Power cannot be restored until the infrastructure is repaired.

For updates, visit https://pieg.com/outage-center/ and https://www.facebook.com/PIEGCooperative. To report an outage, call 1-800-423-6634 or 989-733-8515.

Important Safety Reminders:

  • For the safety of our members and staff, please do not approach or engage with line crews working to restore power.
  • Please avoid downed power lines, trees, and limbs hanging on the lines.

During extended outages:

  • Individuals reliant on medical equipment should establish an emergency backup plan.
  • If you need shelter, please contact our main office so we can recommend a location near you, or visit our Facebook page for a list of shelters.
  • Members using generators should ensure they are correctly connected with a transfer switch, so they do not back feed into the power lines and cause harm to workers.
  • Refrain from using a gas range for heating or charcoal as an indoor heat or cooking source.

Presque Isle Electric & Gas Co-op extends its support and resources to approximately 40,000 member-owners across a nine-county region in Northeast Michigan. Our headquarters is located in Onaway, Michigan.

End of release.

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