OXFORD, Mich. – Many DTE customers were without power during the holiday season, but it wasn't for a lack of effort on the part of many DTE crews. Workers were outside working through the holiday in an attempt to restore power for those that had lost it. Many of them have been working 16 hour shifts each day since the weekend.
Ice covering power lines from last week's winter storm has had the crews outside around the clock, and there is still plenty of work ahead of them as removing that ice is a slow process.
"Anytime you get a storm like this, especially an ice storm like this, it's pretty tough," DTE lineman Tony Carone said.
Carone and other workers have been working on lines since Sunday, including Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but 11,000 homes are still without power.
"It's all pretty much repetition until the job is done," Carone said. "And then, of course, we have follow-up work."
Though the conditions have been tough, the locals have noticed and appreciate the dedication of DTE's crewmen. Carone said people have brought him coffee, and the Columbiaville church even offered them dinner.
DTE says that despite the difficulty of working through the holidays, they will continue working on the lines until power is restored to customers.