The Big, No Bright, No Light Show VIDEO

Rochester Media caught Downtown Rochester in one of its Darkest Hours

As the high winds knocked out power across the state, many in the Greater Rochester Area lost power. This video shows Downtown Rochester looking like the opposite of the Big, Bright Light Show.

As of 5:00 a.m. Thursday, more than 700,000 DTE Energy customers have been impacted and more than 670,000 customers remain without power due to severe winds blowing through its Southeast Michigan service territory. This is the largest weather event in DTE history. The outages are widespread across the region, with the hardest hit areas in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and Washtenaw counties.

Throughout the day, winds gusts over 60 mph caused extensive tree damage, resulting in more than 3,000 downed power lines so far. Due to the unusually warm weather this winter, as well as significant rainfall, the ground is very soft and saturated. That, combined with the high winds, caused trees to uproot, falling onto DTE’s poles and power lines, resulting in widespread outages.

The priority of our crews is to first eliminate downed power lines to ensure the safety of the public. Restoration estimates are currently unavailable. DTE expects to have restoration estimates today, after crews have assessed the damage overnight. DTE recognizes this event will be difficult for our customers and we ask for your ongoing patience. You can sign up to be notified as soon as an estimate is available for your address through our DTE mobile app or automated system at 800-477-4747.

DTE crews continue to work 16-hour shifts around the clock to restore power, and additional crews from Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, New York and Pennsylvania will be in Michigan on this morning to assist.

About Rochester Media

Rochester Media publishes The Community Edge digital newsletter of recently posted articles from Rochester Media, a hyper-local news outlet covering all things in and around Rochester, Rochester Hills, and Oakland Township. Send us you press releases and news happenings to editor@rochestermedia.com.

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