Workers repair a power line adjacent to the site of a fatal balloon crash in Albuquerque, N.M., Saturday, June 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton) (Andres Leighton, Copyright 2021. The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
DETROIT – Storms moved through southeastern Michigan on Tuesday, July 20, triggering power outages across the region.
As of 8:04 a.m. on Wednesday, more than 31,700 DTE Energy customers were without power, most of them in Oakland County.
Stay at least 20 feet away from downed power lines and anything they are in contact with, including puddles of water and fences. Keep children and pets away too.
Be extremely cautious near metal fences, which conduct electricity, following a severe storm. Electric current will be the strongest where a downed power line is touching a metal fence. Even a connecting fence several backyards away can be energized and dangerous.
Never cross yellow barrier tape. It may be around downed power lines.
Never drive across downed power lines. If a power line falls on your vehicle, remain inside your car until emergency help arrives.
A live power line may spark and whip around as it looks for a ground. A ground is the earth or something touching the earth, like a fence or a tree. A live wire that has found its ground may lie silently, but it is still dangerous. Report a downed power line online, on the DTE Energy Mobile App or call us immediately at 800.477.4747.
Cable or telephone lines can be energized if they come in contact with electrical lines. Contact with any energized power line can be fatal.
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