Here’s how Metro Detroiters are preparing for the winter snowstorm ahead of Christmas

Meteorologists suggest you finish Christmas shopping by Wednesday

DETROITCampus Martius was packed with people looking to enjoy the sights and feels of the holiday season Tuesday night.

Grocery stores were also quite busy with people stocking up for holiday dinners and preparing for this week’s winter snowstorm.

Local 4 met Melissa Coen at the Meijer in Allen Park, where she shops and delivers groceries to people’s doors.

“I actually had a conversation with a lady an hour ago on the storm,” said Coen, who says dairy and meat products seem to be going the quickest. “She was preparing for it. A lot of her items were canned goods.”

Cohen says she has what she needs and doesn’t plan on doing deliveries once the winter weather moves in.

Jeannie Harris was also out picking up last-minute items. She’s relieved her daughter, who was in from Chicago for a visit, made it back before the storm.

Now that she’s back, they plan on enjoying the company of family indoors.

“We’re cooking, staying up all night, playing games, watching movies, and passing out,” said Harris.

DTE Energy says its Emergency Response Team is closely monitoring the situation. While their teams are ready to respond to any potential outages, they wanted to remind people that downed power lines may be hidden by debris, so it’s best to stay a bus length (20 feet) away from a downed wire or anything it comes into contact with.

If you see yellow caution tape, it could indicate a downed wire, so stay away, and lastly, place all generators outdoors, away from windows and doors.


About the Authors:

Pamela Osborne is thrilled to be back home at the station she grew up watching! You can watch her on Local 4 News Sundays and weeknights. Pamela joined the WDIV News Team in February 2022, after working at stations in Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Brandon Carr is a digital content producer for ClickOnDetroit and has been with WDIV Local 4 since November 2021. Brandon is the 2015 Solomon Kinloch Humanitarian award recipient for Community Service.