Widespread power outage issues affecting city of Detroit, not clear if schools will open tomorrow

DETROIT (WXYZ) - Power is back on in the city of Detroit after a number of power outages shut down facilities throughout the city.

24 Detroit Public Schools were reportedly without power. Wayne State University also experienced power trouble, but we're told electricity has been restored.

“All the power and all the lights, on and off, on and off,” said Keith Johnson, Jr.

The Detroit student was eating when he saw a light pole spark outside his school’s cafeteria.

“I was in the lunch room and I saw in the back, the pole just sparked and blew a bright light and everything just started blinking on and off,” said Johnson.

His father, like hundreds of parents, scrambled to pick up their children.

“Got a call that the power went out at the schools so I had to stop doing what I was doing and come get the kids,” said Keith Johnson, Sr.

While picking up his one son, he learned Cass Tech lost power where his other son goes.

“I gotta go to another school and get my son from school,” said Johnson.

By 1pm, 24 Detroit Public Schools were without power. The district decided to dismiss all schools an hour early.

“They told us to stay in the classroom,” said student Dalida Dunbar.

Detroit Public Schools dismissed an hour earlier than normal Thursday. The situation still is being assessed and it will be determined whether schools will open for class on Friday.

Several buildings on the campus of Wayne State University lost power.

“The computer shut off, came on a and went off again and then lights out,” said Sean Mu, a Professor of Mechanical Engineering.

“I was working on the laptop so it was okay because I have a battery. But for my friend he was on the desktop and everything is gone,” said student Na Zhu.

Emergency services also felt the concern of not having power. Some firefighters in Detroit had to use ladders and ropes to manually pull trucks out of garages at engine 39.

“All the power went out and when we got the message to pull the rigs out,” said Sgt. Jim Curry.
The rigs were pulled out so firefighters and EMS personnel could still respond to emergencies in the city.

Several buildings in the city, including libraries, were also affected. A number of fire departments are also reported outages.

The Detroit Institute of Arts also closed due to an outage there.

The problem stemmed from feeder lines for the Detroit Public Lighting Department that failed and City officials are blaming the weather and aging system.

The City of Detroit has issued the following statement:

Recent storms and weather related issues are the cause of current power outages. DTE lines are down in areas throughout the city including in the Mumford High area which caused a power outage at four area schools. In addition to those outages, another 20 schools are without power. Wayne State University and the DIA are also reporting power outages. The recent rains and storms have caused issues at multiple city substations. Crews are working around the clock to repair the issues. An additional update will be available at 5 p.m. today.

Detroit Mayor Dave Bing has said that he does not think the City should be in the public lighting business because they don’t have the money to invest in upgrading the system.

Detroit’s public lighting system is over 125 years old.

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