High Winds Lead to Power Outages for Hundreds in Farmington Hills

A wind advisory for Oakland County has been issued until 8 p.m., and the National Weather Service (NWS) warns winds from the southwest may reach 50 mph.

The hazardous weather warning was issued at 11:45 a.m. for numerous counties, including Wayne, Macomb, Washtenaw, Lenawee and Lapeer.

High winds have led to power outages in neighborhoods on the east end of Farmington Hills:

• About 90 homes in the Briar Hill/Shadylane/Wildwood neighborhood north of 10 Mile between Middlebelt and Inkster lost power before noon today
• Power went out for nearly 400 residents in neighborhoods between Nine Mile and Shiawassee Roads east of Middlebelt at around 2:30 p.m.
• An area of 137 homes east of Tuck and south of Eldred have been without power since around 1:15 p.m. 

There are also scattered reports of outages at individual homes throughout Farmington and Farmington Hills. 

The strong weather may lead to downed power lines and tree limbs, the NWS warns. 

If a Smart Meter has been installed at your home or business, it will report any power outage. DTE Energy offers an outage reporting smart phone app that is available through iTunes and the Android App Store. 

You may also call 800-477-4747 or report an outage online at dteenergy.com

DTE Energy offers the following safety tips on its website:

• Stay at least 20 feet away from downed wires and anything they are in contact with, including puddles of water and fences. Keep children and pets away, too.
• Be extremely cautious near metal fences, which conduct electricity, following a severe storm. Electric current will be the strongest where a downed wire is touching a metal fence, but even a connecting fence several backyards away can be energized and dangerous.
• Never cross the yellow barrier tape that may be around downed power lines.
• Never drive across downed wires. If a power line falls on your vehicle, remain inside your car until help arrives.
• A live wire may spark and whip around as it looks for a ground. A ground is the earth or something touching the earth, like a fence or a tree. A live wire that has found its ground may lie silently, but it is still dangerous. Report it online or call us immediately at 800-477-4747.
• Cable or telephone lines can be energized if they come in contact with electrical lines. Contact with any energized line can be fatal.