By JESSICA SIEFF
Niles Daily Star

According to Indiana Michigan Power, an estimated 80,000 customers in southwest Michigan and northwest Indiana experienced interruptions due to the storm.

While much of Niles seemed to see power restored by Sunday afternoon, Indiana Michigan Power reported nearly 40,000 customers remain without power including an estimated 7,600 in Buchanan, 9,300 in New Buffalo and 18,000 in South Bend.

Damage left behind the storm is still visible in the form of downed trees and power lines and debris left curbside up and down residential roads.

Niles Utilities and Indiana Michigan Power crews were kept busy all weekend and were still working to restore power to residents Sunday.

Both organizations reported they were making progress and seemed to have a majority of power restored.

“We’re trying to energize the Silverbrook area now,” Steve Burger, operating mechanic for the wastewater plant, said at about 12:45 p.m. Saturday.

Niles Utilities had been receiving many calls from customers inquiring about when power will be restored.

“About all we can tell them that the best guess given to us (by crews) is late afternoon (today),” Burger had said Saturday.

Burger said at the time power was “kind of spotty.” One of the worst-hit areas was along Wayne Street, where poles are down. Tree crews are also out, he said.

Forceful winds, reported at 70 miles per hour in some areas hit by the storm front, knocked down power lines along Seventeenth Street where a portion of that road remained closed on Sunday.

Power lines could also be seen down along Old US-31 in Niles and in a portion of Buchanan which was also hit hard by the storm.

Officer Kevin Kosten with the Niles City Police Department said Sunday there didn’t seem to be “any major problems” remaining in the Niles area, but  “there are still some roads that are blocked because of trees down and power lines down.”

He added motorists seemed to be adhering to blockades and driving carefully, coming to four way stops at stop lights still in need of repair.

According to WNDU, the storm produced winds as strong as 68 to 90 miles per hour in Michiana, with the strongest reported in LaPorte, Ind. No tornadoes were reported. Many roads were closed as trees and power lines blocked traffic.

Trees were down over U.S. Highway 12 and blocked traffic on Gumwood Road in Granger. Winds produced damage to homes particularly in South Bend, where siding was ripped off houses and trees reportedly fell over into homes.

The storms, which originated early Friday in Iowa and swept east through the Midwest, caused one fatality. According to annarbor.com, a 47-year-old man was killed when his van struck a tree in Dexter Township.