Metro Detroit residents losing patience over power outages as food spoils
Frustration grows over ongoing power outages
Since Friday, many of these residents say they've been left in the dark, without air conditioning, and now much of their food has spoiled.
DETROIT (FOX 2) - Residents have been contacting the FOX 2 Problem Solvers, upset that their power is still out. Many people were preparing to cook out and celebrate the Fourth of July holiday.
Big picture view:
But since Friday, many residents say they've been left in the dark, without air conditioning, and now much of their food has spoiled.
"All the food for the holidays—we lost it. We just threw it out. I bought about $200 worth of food just for the holiday, but I had to empty my freezer and my refrigerator," one resident tells FOX 2. "We loaded it all up and threw it away this morning. It's terrible. I was supposed to have company, but I can't cook."
The other side:
The president and CEO of DTE Energy held a press conference a short time ago. She says she is deeply sorry for the hardships the storms have caused. Here's what she had to say about efforts to restore power to customers who remain without electricity.
"That is our goal. We are on track to get 100% of our customers back online tonight, and our crews are working tirelessly," said DTE President & CEO Joi Harris. "We did get a new influx of crews from out of state that arrived this morning, and we've already deployed them into the field. The damage is extensive. I've been out in the field over the last several days, and we've seen broken trees, broken poles, and broken crossarms. In some instances, we are rebuilding the circuit one customer at a time."
What's next:
DTE officials say nearly 400,000 customers were affected by the storm. As of 4 p.m. today, power has been restored to 376,000 customers.