KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – A state of emergency has been declared for Kalamazoo County and the City of Kalamazoo, after massive power outages, downed trees and power lines from Wednesday’s ice storm.
In a joint press release Thursday, the county and city said there are hundreds of downed trees and power lines. Close to 50,000 Kalamazoo County Consumers Energy customers were without power at one point Thursday, which was about 40% of county residents. That number is being listed at just over 43,000 Friday morning.
Consumers Energy said that as many as 237,000 customers statewide lost power as a result of Wednesday’s winter storm, with the worst of the outages around Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, Jackson, Hillsdale and Adrian.
“With continued high winds, we are expecting further outages and downed trees. Thank you to our first responders, who are working tirelessly to clear the roads,” said Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners Chair John Taylor. “Please stay safe as we come together as a community to pull through this storm.”
