Overview
- Severe storms with 60+ mph gusts over the July Fourth weekend knocked down trees, about 2,000 power lines and multiple multi‑pole outages that made repairs complex and time‑consuming.
- Utilities say a large majority of customers have been restored but pockets remain: tens of thousands without service in Southeast Michigan and about 25,000 still offline in the Baltimore area.
- DTE and other companies mobilized mutual‑assistance crews from across states and Canada and report restoring hundreds of thousands of customers within 24–48 hours while targeting final restorations into Tuesday and Wednesday.
- Residents and small businesses report tangible losses such as spoiled food and lost revenue, and utilities have opened community resource stations and offered limited bill credits plus reimbursements for ice and water with receipts.
- Because distribution repairs often require replacing poles and crossarms one location at a time, officials warn multi‑day outages are likely and say the event is prompting calls for clearer communication and stronger contingency planning.