Thousands Still Without Power; Fraser High School Closed For Day
FRASER (WWJ) - Power outages remain a problem across metro Detroit following Thursday's heavy winds.
DTE Energy says several thousand homes and business were still in the dark, as of 9 a.m. The majority of remaining outages are concentrated in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb Counties. At the peak, 76,000 customers were affected.
Students at Fraser High School were briefly in class Friday, but were sent home due to safety concerns in connection with electrical problems.
Fraser Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Dave Richards said the power issues caused surges; and, as a result, a panel at the school began to smoke.
The all clear was eventually given by Fraser Public Safety, however: "The high school is not back to full power," Richards said. "Some power has been restored, but it's not full power. Obviously our biggest concern was not being able to provide lunches and operate the kitchen area."
The high school is closed for the day, although the middle school (which is running on generator) and elementary school remain in session.
Multiple students unhappy with the situation made their thoughts clear on social media.
DTE says crews are continuing to work 16-hour shifts around the clock to restore service. Complete restoration is expected by the end of the day.
The public, as always, is urged to stay away from and never touched downed or broken power lines. Customers may call DTE Energy at 800-477-4747 to report power outages or downed lines.
