Story perspectives

DTE Restores Power Plans After Sept. 4 Storms

9/6/2026

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Summary

Story summary

DTE Energy reports more than 274,000 customers without power after storms on Sept. 4.
DTE deployed about 2,600 Storm Response Team members and 800 out-of-state crews.
DTE aims to restore power to 65% of customers by Friday and 90% by Saturday.
Oakland County had the largest outage with roughly 50,411 customers without electricity.
Consumers Energy said over 16,000 mid-Michigan customers lacked power, including 3,000 near DeWitt.

History

Historical Context

The February 1998 North American Ice Storm, which struck the United States and Canada, left over 4 million customers without electricity. Hydro-Québec and Ontario Hydro deployed 1,500 crews, while New England Power mobilized 2,000 workers, incurring $1.4 billion in damages across the region. Today's Michigan storms echo that crisis, as DTE Energy dispatches 2,600 Storm Response Team members and 800 out-of-state crews to restore power for 274,000 customers. The 1998 outage prompted stricter grid-hardening regulations, suggesting that modern utilities must prioritize infrastructure resilience to prevent prolonged blackouts.

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Story summary

DTE Energy reports more than 274,000 customers without power after storms on Sept. 4.
DTE deployed about 2,600 Storm Response Team members and 800 out-of-state crews.
DTE aims to restore power to 65% of customers by Friday and 90% by Saturday.
Oakland County had the largest outage with roughly 50,411 customers without electricity.
Consumers Energy said over 16,000 mid-Michigan customers lacked power, including 3,000 near DeWitt.

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