DETROIT (WXYZ) — DTE Energy crews said they are working hard after severe storms, including a radar-confirmed tornado, swept through Metro Detroit.
"Anytime anyone loses power, it is difficult, especially coming into a holiday weekend," a DTE spokesperson said during a Friday briefing.
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It left widespread damage and power outages across the service area.
The powerful storms brought wind gusts exceeding 70 mph, according to DTE crews. It knocked down trees, damaged power lines and left many families without electricity.
For some residents, the outages meant spoiled food, uncomfortable nights and uncertainty about when power would return.
Mohammad Baij, who lives on Detroit's east side, told 7 News Detroit he was forced to throw away food after losing power.
"Some food in the fridge. I had to throw it away just now. It's been horrible," Baij said.
Another nearby resident described the difficult conditions overnight as temperatures remained warm.
"It's real terrible. It was so hot last night, me and the kids. We just had to thug it," the resident said.
DTE said multiple rounds of severe weather this week affected 300,000 customers across its service territory.
Utility officials also reported receiving more than 1,000 reports of downed power lines following the storms.
To support restoration efforts, DTE said thousands of storm response workers were deployed across southeast Michigan.
Officials also urged residents to exercise caution around storm damage, especially downed power lines.
"If you see a downed power line, please stay 25 feet away," a DTE representative said.
DTE also reminded residents using generators during outages to keep them a safe distance from their homes, direct exhaust away from living spaces, and keep children and pets indoors.
While restoration work continued Friday, utility crews said they were also monitoring the potential for additional storms moving through the area. DTE said it hopes to have power restored to everyone by Sunday night, and 90% of customers will hopefully have power by the end of Saturday.
Officials encouraged residents to remain alert and report hazardous conditions as cleanup efforts continued across Metro Detroit.
