As of Monday night, I&M reports that they hit their goal of restoring power to 95% of customers who lost service over the weekend.
At it's peak, over 32,000 customers were without power as a result of the Saturday morning storms. For those still without power, Erica Putt with Indiana Michigan Power says, “As the restoration work continues, those customers remaining without power will be contacted directly for a specific restoration time.”
Both local and outside utility personnel from Ohio and Kentucky worked throughout Monday to restore power and will continue to do so until everyone is back on. They say they've replaced miles of down wires, 25 transformers, 72 cross arms (equipment on poles) and 68 poles so far.
The City of Fort Wayne reports that the Parks and Recreation Department and contractors addressing more than 100 downed street trees. The cleanup of downed trees on homes is expected to take the rest of this week, and street tree cleanup efforts in residential neighborhoods could take take several more weeks. Several street lights had to be repaired, but they say all signals are now operational.
Meanwhile, residents are urged to stay away from fallen trees and branches that are on power lines. All non-emergency calls should be directed to 311, leaving 911 open to only emergency calls. Also, the city’s biosolids facility has waived fees for residents wanting to get rid of tree limbs, branches, and debris.
