Whitmer plans Trump call as tens of thousands remain without power in northern Michigan

Hannah Mackay, The Detroit News on Apr 2, 2025

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DETROIT — In northern Michigan, tens of thousands remain in the dark Wednesday without power and heat, still reeling from the effects of a weekend ice storm as more severe weather begins to batter the state.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a Wednesday interview with 9 & 10 News she has sent 125 National Guard members up north to help with clearing the roads for fuel shipments and getting oxygen for residents in assisted living centers. Another 350 Guard members are expected to join them in the next day.

"I am planning to have a call today with President Trump" to lay the groundwork for an aid request from the federal government, said Whitmer, who declared a state of emergency in 10 counties on Monday and added two more counties on Tuesday.

As restoration efforts continue, the Mackinac Bridge closed for the third time in three days this week because of falling ice from the span, the bridge authority said in a statement, noting the latest closure occurred at 2:30 a.m. It had been closed for most of Tuesday due to falling melting ice but reopened for a few hours after the temperatures dipped back below freezing.

Due to severe weather in lower Northern Michigan, the bridge is expected to remain closed until at least 7 a.m. Thursday, Michigan State Police said in a post on X.

"Unlike high wind closures where weather forecasts can give us solid information on when winds are expected to diminish, guessing when ice will fall and stop falling is just a guess," Mackinac Bridge Director Kim Nowack said in a statement. "... For the safety of all involved, we need to keep our system simple: when ice is falling from the towers and cables, we close the bridge until it stops."

The bridge's maintenance staff have said the amount of ice that has formed is unprecedented, adding that the "ice sheets, spears and chunks that are falling are dangerous to anyone out on the bridge deck."

Counties there can expect 1-2 inches of snow on Wednesday before it transitions to freezing rain and then rain, according to the National Weather Service station in Gaylord. Additional icing appears less likely, although strong winds up to 40 mph could knock down more trees and branches that were previously compromised by the icing, the weather service said.

A glaze of ice is still possible, the weather service cautioned, as well as unlikely ice accumulation in some areas. Thunderstorms are also possible Wednesday afternoon.

The new weather front promised to complicate recovery efforts. The Presque Isle Electric & Gas Co-op has warned there are hundreds of downed poles, and each takes several hours to replace, meaning restoration of power will take five days or more.

A winter weather advisory is in effect for northern Michigan until 8 p.m. Wednesday evening, and people should plan on slippery road conditions and reduced visibility, the weather service said.

An historic ice storm on Sunday caused extensive damage to transmission and distribution lines in the northern Lower Peninsula, leaving tens of thousands without power.

McLaren Northern Michigan hospitals announced Wednesday that primary power has been restored after operating on emergency power following Sunday's storms. The emergency department remained open, but several outpatient services were closed. The hospital is in the process of bringing affected services back online, according to the Wednesday update.

"At McLaren Northern Michigan – Cheboygan Campus, primary power has also been restored, and the emergency department continues to be operational while other outpatient services are being brought back online," the update said.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Presque Isle Electric & Gas Co-op reported 31,708 members across its nine-county region in northeast Michigan without power, according to its online outage center. Consumers Energy reported 2,020 outages affecting 73,308 customers across its service area, which includes both northern and southern Michigan.

Alpena Power reported 10,934 affected by outages as of Wednesday afternoon, 7,130 of whom were still without power. Great Lakes Energy, which serves western northern Michigan from the tip of the mitten to Holland, reported hundreds of outages affecting 36,245, and Cloverland Electric Cooperative, which provides power in the eastern Upper Peninsula, reported 1,514 outages affecting 3.48% of its 43,529 customers.

Meijer stores in Alpena and Gaylor will distribute water and snacks while supplies last between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Wednesday, according to Michigan State Police.

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