Getting Prepared for Summer Storms
Summer storm season in Michigan and across the upper Midwest can bring extreme weather events. Thunderstorms, high winds and heavy rainfall, even tornadoes can strike and potentially disrupt the electrical grid. To prepare, DTE Energy takes strategic, proactive measures ahead of summer storm season to help minimize the impact of power outages on our customers. Here are just some of the many ways in which DTE gets ready in advance:
- Regular maintenance and inspection of all infrastructure: DTE conducts routine maintenance and inspections of our electrical infrastructure, including the power lines, substations and transformers, to ensure they are in good working condition. This helps identify and address any potential issues or weaknesses in the system that could be vulnerable when storms occur.
- Tree trimming: Trees and their branches on or near our power lines can pose a risk during storms, as falling branches or trees can damage those lines and cause interruptions. DTE has trimmed more than 25,000 miles along our lines over the last five years and is trimming thousands more here in 2023 to help minimize the risk of storm-related outages.
- Emergency response plans: DTE Energy has a well-defined emergency response plan in place for summer storm season. The plans outline procedures for quickly responding to power outages, mobilizing restoration and repair crews and coordinating with local emergency management agencies to ensure a prompt and efficient response to all storm-related incidents.
- Equipment stockpiling: DTE stockpiles essential equipment and materials, such as poles, transformers, and wires, in strategic locations to facilitate quick and safe repairs in case of storm damage during extreme weather. This helps reduce downtime and accelerate the restoration process.
- Coordination with other utilities: Electric providers like DTE often collaborate and coordinate with neighboring utilities in the region to share resources and support each other during storms. This can include mutual aid agreements, where utilities aid one another in times of need, such as sending equipment and crews from out of state to help restore power in affected areas of our service territory.
- Employee training and readiness: DTE invests in regular training and readiness programs for its employees to ensure they are well-prepared to handle all storm-related emergencies. This can include specialized training on storm response, safety protocols and equipment operation.
- Enhanced communication and customer outreach: DTE prioritizes communication with customers before, during and after storms. This can include providing updates on storm preparations, outage notifications, estimated restoration times and safety information through various channels such as website and app with our outage center, social media channels and traditional media across Southeast Michigan and beyond.
- Continuous monitoring of weather conditions: DTE meteorologists closely monitor weather conditions during summer storm season through advanced meteorological tools and systems. This enables them to track developing storms in advance, predict potential impacts, and make informed decisions on resource allocation and response strategies with our emergency response team.
- Secure First wire down teams: DTE Secure First teams are made of up staff from across the company, and across many disciplines, who help keep the public safe with wire down situations during storms by also preparing and training for many hours in advance of that extreme weather. Remember: always stay at least 25 feet away from any downed wire AND anything that wire is touching.
- Restoration prioritization: In the event of power outages, DTE will prioritize restoration efforts based on critical infrastructure, public safety needs, and the number of affected customers. This helps ensure that power is restored to critical facilities, such as hospitals and emergency services, first, followed by residential and commercial areas.
DTE Energy takes a multi-faceted approach to prepare for summer storm season. These proactive measures help minimize the impact of storms and extreme weather events on the DTE electrical grid and make for quicker, safer restoration of power to electric customers across our service territory.
During extreme weather, please view our outage center and dynamic outage map on the DTE App, or at outage.dteenergy.com