As of 2 p.m. today, 98% of Alpena Power Company customers are back in service, according to a press release from the company’s president and COO, Ken Dragiewicz.

“We are working diligently to restore power to the approximately 300 customers who remain without power,” he said in the release. “Continuous progress has been made in all areas apart from a section along the DNR trail between Herron Road and Hillman. We are still in the last phase of our restoration process, which is restoring service drops to individual homes. During this time, some customers may experience short-duration outages as repairs are made to other customers served by the same equipment as you.”

The release asks that if your power has been restored and you experience an outage, to do the following:

— Look around your home and neighborhood for utility crews, specifically in the direction of your transformer and the lines leading to it. If you see utility workers, please be patient as the outage should last less than 30 minutes.

— If you do not see utility workers and your outage has lasted longer than 30 minutes, please report it to Alpena Power. Waiting 30 minutes to report the outage will not add to your restoration time.

WHAT DO I DO ONCE MY ELECTRICAL SERVICE IS REPAIRED?

Alpena Power strongly recommends you contact a licensed electrician to make any repairs as they have extensive knowledge of the electrical code and can help to expedite materials and required inspections. Once repairs are completed, the electrician will be in contact with the electrical inspector who will provide approval to Alpena Power to reconnect and energize the service.

If you have completed the repairs yourself, you must complete the necessary permits and have an inspection completed before the power company can reconnect and energize your service.

WHO IS GOING TO CLEAN UP THE TREE DEBRIS IN MY YARD?

During a storm, Alpena Power’s goal is to restore as many customers as quickly as possible. If they cut a tree off a power line or remove branches that have fallen on a service, they will leave them behind as they are the property owners’ responsibility to clean up. To assist property owners, the City of Alpena will be performing brush pickup, details of which can be found in the city’s press release, located here at alpena.mi.us/news_detail_T6_R755.php

WHAT IF UTILITY CREWS DAMAGED MY YARD?

During restoration, Alpena Power’s crew’s focus is on safety and restoration. This sometimes results in property damage, such as large ruts in a grass yard. Alpena Power will address the property damage but asks that customers wait until the power outage restoration is complete to contact Alpena Power. Then, they can inspect the property and work with landowners to restore any damage.