(WZZM) -- With windy weather in the forecast, Consumers Energy is on alert, preparing to respond to any power outages.
The utility has customers in all of the lower peninsula's 68 counties, so they have to be ready to have crews across the state at any time.
The utility says wind is its biggest concern when a storm hits. This system is expected to bring wind gusts up to 60 miles per hour, strong enough to take down branches and entire trees, and knock out power.
In case you lose electricity, Consumers Energy recommends:
- Having fully-charged batteries for electronic devices
- Having enough drinking water and non-perishable food to last a few days (for people and pets)
- Properly installing and venting generators (if you use them), to avoid both sending electricity back to the system (where it could electrocute line workers) and carbon monoxide poisoning
As far as fixing outages as they happen, Consumers says it has been working all day to prepare.
"We have worked to get a number of crews on call, on standby," said Consumers Energy spokesman Roger Morgenstern. "We know it's difficult this holiday season. Our customers are counting on us to keep the lights on, and we're marshaling our crews to make sure we keep the lights on -- or, if we do have outages, we get them back on as quickly as we can."
Morgenstern says crews will be working until all of the outages are taken care of, including through the holidays.
