ROCKFORD, Mich. – Extreme wind gusts have left hundreds of thousands of people across the state without power, including West Michigan. Consumers Energy has set up a mobile command center in Rockford. The technology inside it helps crews do their job more efficiently so the power can come on faster.
In response, Consumers Energy set up a mobile command center in Rockford, where the technology inside helps crews do their job more efficiently so the power can be restored faster.
"It allows us to be able to bring restoration efforts locally to the hardest hit areas," says Guy Packard, vice president of electric operations for Consumers Energy.
The command center also alerts crews to where the power is out and lets them know where workers are restoring power. Parked right next to it is a storm restoration truck that supplies crews with everything they need to get the power back on.
"We have all the pieces and parts that you basically need to put the wire up," Packard says. “We have insulators, we have splice kits, we have connectors, we have the tie wires.”
Packard says this is the worst power outage Consumers Energy has seen since December 2015.
He says power should be restored to the Grand Rapids area by Thursday night and other areas in West Michigan by Saturday.
