Employees from AEP sister companies combined with contractors and mutual assistance crews to form an assistance workforce more than 900 strong, bringing much appreciated aid to I&M crews working across our service territory.

I&M’s Emergency Response team began organizing resources and assistance Monday afternoon, well before the storm hit, in response to severe weather forecasts. Once the widespread wind storm moved through, that proved to be a prudent action. The preparation allowed us to act when outages began, instead of marshalling bodies after the lights were already out.

Thanks to combined efforts, in the first 48 hours nearly 45,000 customers were restored out of the approximately 52,000 who lost power. Line Mechanics and assessors from Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Ohio, Kentucky and other parts of Indiana and Michigan are currently on the ground or moving into our hardest hit areas in Southwest Michigan to restore those who remain out.  We’re also taking advantage of advanced technology and drone pilots who are providing additional assistance to our line crews by surveying hard-to-reach areas to assess damage.

We are incredibly thankful for the fast response to help restore our customers!