Power was out for 36 hours

[bxrmom]

With the ice storm that passed through MI and the rest of the country, our power went out at 5 am Thursday morning and came back on Friday night at about 5:30 pm.

The storm took out part of a neighbor's tree and it landed on some lines in their yard, against their front door, and part of the tree was across the road so nobody could go all the way through the road! Luckily there are 2 ways to get down our road so most could get to their homes.

The power company originally said we wouldn't have power back until 11 am Monday...I can't imagine that...our temp in the house was down to 44 degrees when the power finally came back on!! The temp finally came all the way back up late last night. Never so thankful for power!

When we first had our new furnace put in, we had talked about getting a generator installed but decided against it. Wish we had gotten one as we have had 2 different power outages since being here, this was the worst one because of the low temps. Thankfully we didn't have any damage to our home or property (we have quite a few trees surrounding us that are not ours). Neighbors on the other side of us had quite a few big branches in their yard.

[Xvettech]

glad you are safe! Glad you didn’t have alot of property damage! Glad you got your heat back!

[twooldcrows]

you had some one looking out for you ...bless you ...

[Kenu]

Glad you are safe and power is back on and heat ! Hopefully stays on🤞🏼😉

[CalfeeChick CommunityAmbassador]

Glad you are safe. This storm has been a "Doozy" for sure. When it went through our area many Large trees and even some smaller trees went down. We are thinking it might be a good idea to have our two Redwoods taken down. We planted them about 14 years ago and they are each about 50' tall. I will miss them but want to keep our neighbors an ourselves safe.

[bxrmom in reply to CalfeeChick]

Trees are so pretty and so dangerous when the right weather hits

[Sandydemop]

happy to hear you are safe and warm.

[bxrmom]

Thanks everyone! I am thankful we did not have any damage and that power was restored quicker than predicted. We did run water in case temps got really low and pipes could freeze. Also thankful that our township water charges a flat fee for 3 months for water no matter how much you use. At our other house, the water bill would be higher at times we had to run the water but rather have that than burst pipes.

[CalfeeChick CommunityAmbassador in reply to bxrmom]

Allot of people don't understand about keeping the water running, but when I was A kid we had to do that and my dad would wrap and cover all the outside faucets. I had to teach my hubby about doing that when we moved into this house. We are in north-central CA & I was raised at 5000' elevation. So much fun as a kid sledding down a nearby hill and ice skating on the frozen river. The good ol' days.

[kdali]

Glad you are ok! Sounds awful.

[BettysMom]

Did you stay in the house when the power was off? If so, how did you stay warm enough to avoid hypothermia?

[bxrmom in reply to BettysMom]

We stayed in the house, though we were about to get a hotel for Saturday (that's all that was open). I stayed under the covers most of the time/napped a lot/dressed in layers the last days as it got colder. The living room during he day was warmer the rest of the house so we spent more time in the living room on the last day. The basement was actually warmer than upstairs.

[Peruzzot]

I grew up in Michigan and lived through several blizzards and ice storms. They're not fun. Almost every house we lived in, if the place didn't come with a fire place, my dad had one or a pot belly stove installed for backup heat in the winter. No lights no problem, that's what candles and kerosene lamps were made for. But can't do without heat in Michigan winters.

Glad you're OK and have heat again.

[bxrmom in reply to Peruzzot]

We had flashlights and extra battery packs for charging cell phones

[Peruzzot in reply to bxrmom]

We didn't have cell phones to worry about in the 1970's and 1980's. I didn't get my first cell phone until I was 37. That blew my kids' minds when they asked how old I was when I got my first cell phone!🤣😂🤣😂🤣

[bxrmom in reply to Peruzzot]

😂😂😂

[goatgal]

The Virginia Piedmont is rolling forested country. The first winter I was here, a power outage lasted slightly more than 24 hours. The house grew so cold, it was impossible to sleep even under a stack of blankets. There's no way I can manage a portable generator as many of my neighbors do...so I had an on-demand generator installed. It powers the heat or AC, keeps the well pump running, makes it possible to cook, wash, and flush the toilet. This marvel ran for a whole week January a year ago when (after my road was passable) it took until June to clean up the debris left by an ice storm (and then a tornado took out power again for a shorter time). Given my age, health, and solitary living, it's no exaggeration to call it a life saver!

[bxrmom in reply to goatgal]

We were talking about an on-demand generator. May be looking into that. This was the longest outage we have had. The others have not been so bad and it was not as cold as it was this time.

[goatgal in reply to bxrmom]

With MS sensitivities to temperature extremes, a generator is a prudent health investment.

[goatgal]

Please excuse my failure to address your post. What happened to my manners! I'm so glad you are safe and warm again. With these challenging outbreaks of severe storms, do take care.

[bxrmom in reply to goatgal]

Thank you very much

[whwiechm]

I'm also in Michigan, just east of Jackson. Thankfully, we did not lose power, but the damage to the trees is going to take months for my wife and I to clean up. It took us 4 hours to clean up the driveway so we could get out.

yard

[bxrmom in reply to whwiechm]

So happy to hear your power stayed on, sorry to hear about the damage. It took our neighbors quite awhile to clear their driveway. They had someone come in to help get the tree off the road as I don't think the city or anyone was going to come remove it and if so, not anytime soon.

[Tazmanian]

Glad your power came back on stay warm

[mrsmike9]

I'm glad you are warm again!

[bxrmom in reply to mrsmike9]

Thanks! The house was slow warming back up, but that is ok to be warm again

[mrsmike9]

Our furnace went out last year and we went nearly a week without heat. It was so cold! At least if it goes out again, my husband switched our fireplaces to gas so we can camp out there if we'd have to!

[falalalala]

I am glad you are safe.

[Amore55]

Oh, sounds like a good idea to nap like you did! So glad you’re warm again!

[jackiesj]

oh my....you have now gone thru magic!

[Chellfairy]

Hello bxrmom,

In SE MI as well and the storm wreaked havoc on my MIL home. Tree limb fell on roof in back of house and is laying on an electrical wire. DTE finally showed up to assess but did nothing. Homeowners insurance not coming until Sunday, said to put tarp on roof and buckets inside.

We are in the process of selling do to her passing, so at least nobody is staying there.

Storm

[bxrmom in reply to Chellfairy]

OMG! So glad nobody is staying in the home! Some of the power companies can be a real pain in the a** to deal with!!! They are probably not doing anything right away because nobody is in the home currently. Is the roof leaking when it rains? So sorry that this happened. Keep us updated on how things go.