You know what an early update means? Good news!

It wasn’t easy, but we’ve nearly made it to the end of this storm — and we’re thankful for the way our members stuck with us through it all.

We’ve restored power to all but one member — we have crews working to replace a pole to get the lights back on for that member as we type this update.

Over the past 3 days, crews worked through incredible amounts of snow, wind, and ice to get the lights back on. At one point, we had nearly everyone restored—and then the storm quite literally caught its second wind, knocking out power again… including for some who had just been restored.

Despite the setbacks, our crews did what they always do: got right back to work.

Here’s a look back at what we were up against:

• 1,642 members without power
• Many experienced back to back outages thanks to Mother Nature’s shenanigans….
• 5 broken poles
• Lots of wind, snow, ice, and downed trees/limbs

We are happy to share this will be our final storm update.

Thank you for all of the support you showed our team as we worked tirelessly to get the lights back on. We feel lucky to serve this community and are proud to be your cooperative.

Calmer conditions today are making a big difference in our crew’s ability to get the lights back on!

Restoration isn’t as simple as flipping a switch to get the lights back on. It’s a coordinated effort that goes a little something like this:

• Main feeder lines that transport power from substations have to go on first. Those main feeders are what brings power to smaller taps off the main line.
• After main feeders are on, we can start tackling smaller taps.
• Once those are taken care of, crews can start addressing the most remote outages, many times serving just a single home.

In this case — we made significant progress and then another round of stormy weather set us back a bit. But our team is resilient, and so are our members!

Since this morning’s update, crews have restored power to 195 members and are continuing to work on 12 active outages impacting 252 members.

We’re making great progress and will continue to work around the clock until every member has power.

We will have another update around 7pm.

Crews are making quick work assessing our 19 active outages impacting 447 members.

• Downed lines from wind, snow, and ice

With this information, we’ve now reassessed all estimated restoration times (ETRs) to provide the most realistic timeframes based on what our crews are seeing in the field. Currently they range from 12:30 PM to 5:00 PM today. Some members may be restored sooner, but again these are the most accurate estimates we can provide right now as we continue working through repairs.

You can view updated restoration times on the outage map above.

Conditions are improving!

We were able to make a handful of restorations overnight and are starting the day with 24 outages impacting 499 members. The majority of those outages continue to be in Manistee County.

Cherryland’s line crews along with five contract crews are gearing up and hitting the road to tackle these remaining outages first thing this morning. We have dedicated 8 of those crews to restoring power to our largest and longest lasting outages between Brethren and Manistee.

We know extended outages are never easy and we appreciate everyone’s patience and support for our crews and their safety.

We’ll have another update for you around 9:30 AM.

When we were nearly finished restoring power to all 1,200 members who saw outages today — another wave of brutal wind swept through the area.

It took down huge trees and ice-covered branches, causing outages for another 1,200 members — many of whom had just had their power restored. Crews worked quickly and have now restored power to more than 700 of those members.

Right now — we still have 534 members without power on the southern end of our territory.

Here is our situation heading into the overnight hours:

• Our daytime crews are wrapping up their work and heading back for their mandatory rest.
• Once they return, we’ll assess current weather conditions including the safety of driving conditions and whether winds are too extreme to safely work in a bucket truck.
• That assessment will determine whether we’re able to dispatch overnight crews or if we need to hold them until morning for safety.

We know it’s tough to be without power, especially for extended periods of time. If you don’t currently have power, it may not be restored until tomorrow.

We’ll keep a close eye on conditions and continue to dispatch crews as long as it remains safe to do so.

We truly appreciate your patience while we do everything we can to get your power restored amid these challenging and dangerous conditions. We’ll have another update for you in the morning.

We are making great progress! The wind has died down and it’s allowing line crews to work more efficiently. That’s not to say it’s a walk in the park out there — messy roads and ice are still slowing things down.

Here’s a snapshot of our current outage status:

We currently have 10 crews working across the system, with additional assistance requested.

Crews are focused in the southern portion of our service territory, primarily Manistee and Wexford Counties.

Throughout this storm, 1,206 members have experienced outages. Crews have already restored power to 775 members, and 431 members are currently without power.

Crews estimate there is about ¼ inch of ice on trees and power lines. That ice, combined with wind, has caused downed branches and trees, which crews are encountering as they work through outages.

While additional wind and weather is expected today, crews are continuing restoration efforts and working through the weather as safely as possible.

We will have another update for you around noon. Thank you for your patience as crews work to restore power as quickly and safely as possible.

Our office is closed to the public today due to weather, but our crews and staff are working.

Lineworkers are hitting the road this morning to continue restoring outages. Travel conditions are still challenging in some areas, so it may take a little time for crews to safely reach those locations. f there’s anything our team can help you with — you can still reach us on the phone, via e-mail, or through SmartHub.

If you can, please stay off the roads and allow crews the space they need to work safely.

Thanks for your patience while we work to get the lights back on.

As you get up and get your day started, please keep safety top of mind. Here’s an update from Grand Traverse 911 — it’s messy out there. Stay off the roads if you are able.

Despite the challenging weather overnight, our crews restored power to about 349 members. At the same time, new outages continued to roll in as ice and wind took down trees and branches. The bulk of our outages continue to be concentrated around Manistee County and the southern end of our service territory.

As of this morning, we have 32 different outages affecting about 190 members.Our overnight crews are getting some well-deserved rest, and we have fresh crews — including contractor support — gearing up to head out and continue restoration efforts.

We’ll share another update around 8:30 AM.

Stay warm, Cherryland members — and stay safe out there.