MARINETTE (NBC 26) — Crews are working to restore power to tens of thousands of customers across northeast Wisconsin. NBC 26 stopped by one restaurant where some people went to get a hot meal while waiting for power.
- Hometown Family Restaurant was one of the few eateries open in Marinette on Monday morning.
- Wisconsin Public Service says as of Monday afternoon, power has been restored to more than 83,000 customers.
- According to WPS, most people should have their power back by the end of Tuesday.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story with additional details for the web.)
I'm Pari Apostolakos. As crews work around the clock to restore power to tens of thousands of customers, I came to Marinette, one of the areas hit hardest by the storms, to see how folks are coping with the power outages. I met Nate Reiswitz at Hometown Family Restaurant. He tells me he lost power at home at 8 a.m. Sunday.
Watch Pari Apostolakos' full broadcast story here:
"Came to get warmed up a little bit, grab some French toast," he said.
With his basement flooded, he's on the hunt for a used generator since he can't find a new one at the stores. He said the places he went to were all sold out, but this hasn't happened often.
"Probably the second time in 20 years," Reiswitz said. "The next day, when we woke up and all the trees were down, roads were a mess, then maybe yeah, I thought it was a little worse than what I thought it was going to be."
Another customer stopped in to refuel after hours on the clock, helping people during the storms. Paramedic Sharon Kamin has been a volunteer with the Emergency Rescue Squad for more than 40 years.
"The power went out at our squad building where we keep our extra ambulance, but we didn't really need it. We made it work without it," Kamin said.
Kamin says she received dozens of calls on Sunday, many for medical assistance, mostly respiratory issues. However, there were no road crashes, which she says is unique.
"Patience is a virtue," she said to her neighbors dealing with the aftermath of the storms. "It's all going to take time. You know, just move on, take one day at a time. That's my motto. One day at a time."
Many schools in the area delayed their first day back from spring break, and some businesses closed their doors on Monday due to power outages and storm damage.
Matt Cullen with Wisconsin Public Service said crews have been working tirelessly since Saturday evening because of the storm's impact. As of early Monday afternoon, Cullen said power had been restored to more than 83,000 customers. Crews from across the Midwest, including Minnesota, and additional contract crews are helping deal with the downed power lines and damaged electrical equipment.
Cullen says WPS expects 80% of customers will be restored on Monday and more than 90% by the end of Tuesday. However, new outages are being reported throughout the day because of ice and gusty winds, plus some additional snowfall Sunday night and Monday morning.
Cullen said he can confidently say this is one of the largest restoration efforts in WPS history.
As of 2 p.m. Monday, more than 1,600 reports of damage from ice-covered trees and branches damaging electrical equipment. Like utility poles being snapped and broken, and power lines being knocked down.
Cullen said all available crews will work around the clock until power is restored. The latest outage information can be found on the WPS outage map.
Cullen said people should stay at least 25 feet away from any downed power line, treat it like it’s charged, and call WPS or law enforcement to report where it has fallen.
