ALPENA POWER COMPANY
401 N. Ninth Ave Alpena, Michigan 49707
For Immediate Release
March 16, 2026 5:00AM
Contact:
Ken Dragiewicz, President and COO
solutions@alpenapower.com
OUTAGE UPDATE
Current Situation
As of 5 am approximately 65% of our customers are without power. All available crews are working, and we have additional contract crews assisting. This is another catastrophic event for Northern Michigan, with extensive tree damage causing widespread power outages throughout the area. Due to the extensive nature of the damage and the continuing storm, customers should plan for multi-day outages.
Timeline
Outages began about 9pm Sunday evening and the situation deteriorated quickly as ice buildup caused devastating damage to trees.
Restoration Process
The restoration process is designed to get essential services energized first then the largest number of customers on as quickly as possible. APC’s process consists of five stages:
1. Essential functions such as hospitals, 911, police, fire, water, sewer, etc.
2. Services such as fuel, grocery stores, pharmacies, etc.
3. Main feeder and distribution lines
4. Areas with the largest number of customers
5. Restore individual homes.
When we restore power, we try to get the largest number of customers on as quickly as possible, sometime that requires us to isolate and leave small outages to work on larger areas. Let me give an example, we may be restoring a neighborhood feeder that has 50 customers but 2 of them have extensive damage to the service lines to the house. We will isolate the two customers and move on to the next neighborhood as it may take as long to restore the 2 customers as the next neighborhood that has 50 customers. Once all large areas are energized, we will return to restore the individual houses.
What can customers do to help
Safety of our customers is a top priority. Please keep the following in mind;
• If using a generator, ensure they are connected properly and legally with a transfer switch so they cannot back feed into the power lines and cause danger to our crews or the public.
• Always operate a generator outdoors in a well-ventilated space
• Stay at least 25 feet away from downed wires and anything they are touching, keep children or pets away, and report the issue by calling 9-1-1 and Alpena Power Company at (989) 358-4900
• Be alert to crews working along slippery and ice-covered roads. Drivers should slow down or stop and wait for oncoming traffic to clear so they safely go past workers on the roadside.
We ask for your continued patience and understanding, we are dealing with a catastrophic event that has effected much of Northern Michigan. The situation is ever changing, trees continue to fall that can cause more outages and damage additional equipment, both of which can change restoration times.
We are asking customers to report issues but please do not continue to call to report the same issue, each call is reviewed and having to review the same information multiple times slows down restoration efforts. One tool that can help keep you informed is our web outage viewer available at: https://www.alpenapower.com/outage-center/ A customer can zoom into their location and see if their outage has been reported. If you are located in a reported area we have the outage information and will get a crew dispatched as soon as one is available.
To report a power outage call (989) 358-4900 Option 1 or to report an emergency call (989) 358-4900 Option 2.
If you see a downed power line call 911 or (989) 358-4900 immediately. Do not assume that because your power is out that the line is not energized. Do not approach the line, stay at least 25 feet away from the line and anything (fences, sheds, etc.) that it is touching, keep all children and pets away.
Alpena Power personnel and contractors are working to restore outages and will continue to do so throughout the duration of the storm.
We urge all customers to remain vigilant and continue to follow their emergency preparedness plans until the storm has fully passed. Your safety is a priority, and we appreciate your continued cooperation, patience and understanding during this time.
• Keep all electronic devices charged.
• If you have electrically powered medical devices, such as an oxygen generator, be sure to have backup supplies on hand and have a plan to move to another location until power is restored.
• Have an emergency battery or charging station available for use during an outage.
• Have an emergency kit that includes flashlights, extra batteries, water, canned food, & blankets
• Be prepared with enough medication, baby supplies and pet foods as applicable.
• A battery-operated radio is also a good idea.
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