Greater Holland Area Power Outages, Cancellations | News | 1450 99.7 WHTC – WHTC News

A smattering of power outages happened at the start of a winter storm that Consumers Power officials predicted could be "devastating." As of 4 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020, nearly 750 Byron Township customers were without power, an outage near Spring Lake Township had been repaired, and nearly 1,000 customers living in Muskegon's Lakeside area, south of Muskegon Lake, were in the dark. In all, Consumers' crews were dealing with 44 outages affecting just over 2,500 customers.

Saturday, January 11, 2020 4:19 a.m. EST by Peg McNichol

Editor's note: This story will be updated as the storm progresses. For area cancellations -- and a few beyond this area -- visit whtc.com/cancellations.

HOLLAND (WHTC-AM/FM) -- A smattering of power outages happened at the start of a winter storm that Consumers Power officials predicted could be "devastating." As of 4 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020, nearly 750 Byron Township customers were without power, an outage near Spring Lake Township had been repaired, and nearly 1,000 customers living in Muskegon's Lakeside area, south of Muskegon Lake, were in the dark. In all, Consumers' crews were dealing with 44 outages affecting just over 2,500 customers.

Police and emergency managers, and Homeland Security officials across the state were on alert, too, ready for the affects of rain, ice, snow, travel issues, and power outages. Michigan State Police emailed a statement to media, quoting Gov. Getchen Whitmer, who said keeping Michiganders safe during severe weather is one of her top priorities.

"My office, along with state departments, will be closely monitoring weather conditions as they develop and proactively coordinating with emergency managers to support local response efforts as appropriate," she said. "We are also encouraging Michiganders to be safe and take precautions during these extreme weather conditions that are being predicted this weekend.

The National Weather Service meteorologists out of Grand Rapids predicted 2 to 4 inches of rain, with a transtion to freezing rain and sleet, and snow by late Saturday afternoon.

That makes flooding in low-lying areas likely, continued erosion along the Lakeshore, with the ice creating dangerous travel conditions and power outages.

Tips from the MSP statement include:

During a power outage

To stay safe during a winter storm

Safe winter driving tips

Preparing for a flood

Driving in a flood

Michigan weather is unpredictable any time of year, but especially during the winter months. If you are stranded in a winter storm, do not leave your vehicle. Stay with the vehicle and wait for help.

Motorists are encouraged to check travel conditions and weather reports before driving at http://www.michigan.gov/roadconditions. Major road closures can be found at http://www.michigan.gov/drive. The MSP/EMHSD asks that you tune into local news and/or view these websites rather than calling your local MSP post or 911 for travel conditions.

For more information on how to prepare before, during and after an emergency or disaster, visit http://www.michigan.gov/miready or follow MSP/EMHSD on Twitter at @MichEMHS.

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Greater Holland Area Power Outages, Cancellations | News | 1450 99.7 WHTC - WHTC News