GROSSE POINTE WOODS, Mich. (WXYZ) — Days after Friday's storms swept through Metro Detroit, some Grosse Pointe Woods residents are still without power — and their frustration is growing.
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The hum of generators has replaced the sounds of everyday life in parts of the neighborhood, as residents endure the heat and wait for DTE crews to finish restoring electricity.
Gary Naumann, 80, has been without power since Friday's storm, with his generator running nonstop.
"I've got $100 at least a $150 in so far on gas," he says.
Naumann said the physical toll is adding up.
"This six-gallon gas can is breaking my back," he says.
Keith Hollowell has also been without power since Friday. He said DTE crews were in the neighborhood Tuesday, but the lights never came back on.
"Last night, when they left here, I was supposed to have power. I had no power. But I got a text message last night saying, " Well, your service has been restored, the service on Blossom, or the work on Blossom, has been completed, as you see, it's not complete," Hollowell says.
Hollowell said he had to take matters into his own hands to get attention for the outage.
"It took me contacting you and a lot of others via email, and I believe that's why I got the results that we're seeing now," he says.
He said the experience has shaken his confidence in the utility.
"I think DTE needs to do a lot better."
DTE and contracting trucks were spotted on Cook Road and Kings Court working to install a new transformer. DTE said in a statement:
We know being without power for an extended period is frustrating, and we’re sorry for the disruption this has created.
Friday’s severe weather caused widespread damage, leaving nearly 400,000 customers without power. While we have restored service to 99.7% of those impacted, we recognize that does not ease the frustration for customers who may have received multiple estimates and still be waiting.
In some instances when we arrive at an outage location, we discover even more damage than anticipated, which can cause additional delays. Our Storm Response Team, made up of more than 4,000 dedicated members, remains focused on continuing our work until every customer has their power fully restored.
On Kings Court, Ken Mokray said six days without power has been a major inconvenience.
"Six days, all of our food is destroyed. I have medicine that needs to be refrigerated, so I took it to my relatives so it wouldn't get spoiled," Mokray says. "It's not working for us."
George Hess says working from home without electricity has presented its own challenges. "You're constantly trying to figure out where you're going to recharge your laptop, recharge your phone. My wife works, so she's been doing a little bit of that, but it sucks."
Hollowell said he also had downed wires to contend with in the days following the storm.
"For days, I couldn't go into my yard because of the downed wires," he says.
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