In any season, strong winds can be destructive and concerning. From frequent gusts causing trees to sway to straight line winds complimenting a round of storms, preparing for emergent situations can make a difference. Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) knows weather can be unpredictable, that’s why we are prepared to serve our customers in any conditions. 

Overnight severe weather brought strong winds exceeding 70 mph through the Fort Wayne and Marion areas, disrupting power for over 50,000 I&M customers. As restoration efforts were underway, a quick line of severe weather blasted South Bend and Benton Harbor, raising the outage count to over 100,000 customers. Luckily, this scenario was just a drill – for now.

Preparing for severe weather that has the potential to result in power outages, road closures and significant debris or damage is critical. For our team, sharpening the response to potential storm situations before they happen is important during restoration efforts, and is accomplished through an Incident Command System (ICS) exercise. This day-long drill practiced is held twice annually and provides the opportunity for our team to work through detailed weather situations, react to real-life scenarios, evaluate plans and ask questions as the event progresses.

I&M conducts ICS exercises for different types of weather events in different seasons. Attendees must collaborate with their team and other departments to determine solutions en route to the final restoration of all impacted customers.

“Bringing everyone together for these drills places our storm response team in a practice environment where we can work on how we respond to urgent matters that may arise during a major weather event without consequence,” said Scott Bennett, Region Support Manager. “From the crews in the field physically restoring power, to the communication that occurs for our customers, everyone at I&M plays a major role in severe weather events.”

Even our customers have a critical role preparing for severe weather. Across our state, severe weather has popped up the last few weeks. As we may face additional thunderstorms in the coming months and start to think about winter conditions, consider preparations like: 

• Creating an emergency kit for your home that includes flashlights, water, non-perishable food, blankets and first aid kit. Customize your kit to fit the unique needs of your household.
• Developing and sharing your family’s emergency plan, highlighting what to do if a weather emergency occurs. Ensure everyone in your home understands their role in that plan.
• Going through your home and confirm all smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are in proper working order with extra batteries on hand.
• Signing up for text alerts and outage updates by downloading the I&M app. Stay connected to I&M by following any of our social media platforms and visiting our website.

Our team is prepared to serve our customers throughout the year as we reliably provide what matters most – comfort at home. For additional information on how you and your family can be severe weather ready this winter storm season, visit our storm safety page on our website.