Consumers Energy Urging Residents to Prepare for Winter Storm

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Mar 11, 2014, 04:07 ET

JACKSON, Mich., March 11, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- A Winter Storm Watch in southern Michigan tonight and Wednesday has Consumers Energy preparing for power outages and providing tips on what customers can do before, during and after a storm strikes.

"We are keeping a close eye on the weather and making sure our crews and equipment are ready to move into areas if predicted heavy snow and winds cause power outages and downed power lines," said Mary Palkovich, vice president of energy delivery for the utility. "Local service centers are staffed and additional company and contractor crews are ready to restore."

Important tips to help prepare for a storm include:

Charge electronic devices such as cell phones, laptops and tablet computers, and have fresh batteries available for items such as flashlights and weather radios.
Have a three-day supply of water and non-perishable food available.
Have a first aid kit and any prescription medication available.
Stay away from downed lines. During and after a storm, stay at least 25 feet away from lines and always assume every line is "live" and dangerous. Also, do not touch anything a power line may be touching, including trees, fences, debris or puddles.
Report any downed wires by calling 9-1-1 or Consumers Energy at 1-800-477-5050.

Consumers Energy, Michigan's largest utility, is the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy (NYSE: CMS), providing natural gas and electricity to 6.5 million of the state's 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties.

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Additional storm and power outage information is available at Consumers Energy's online outage center, www.ConsumersEnergy.com/outage.

Customers who lose power should contact Consumers Energy at 1-800-477-5050 or online at www.ConsumersEnergy.com.

Customers can report an outage; get outage information, including updated estimated restoration times, all on a detailed map at www.ConsumersEnergy.com/outagemap. The map is accessible via both desktop computers and mobile devices.

For more information regarding Consumers Energy, go to: www.ConsumersEnergy.com or join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/consumersenergymichigan

SOURCE Consumers Energy