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SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN — Storms with strong winds and torrential rain that swept through northern Indiana and southwest Michigan on Sunday caused heavy damage and disrupted power to thousands of Indiana Michigan Power customers.

As of 8:30 a.m., I&M has approximately 48,000 customers without power, which is down from more than 60,000 customers at the height of the storm. A majority of impacted customers are in St. Joseph and Elkhart Counties in Indiana and Berrien and St. Joseph Counties in Michigan.

I&M anticipates having the majority of customers who are able to receive power restored by 11 p.m. Tuesday, April 1. Many customers will receive service before the estimated time. As crews work to safely repair the electrical system additional outages may occur.

Damage assessment and response is underway. So far, workers have discovered more than 360 individual spans of downed power lines, 116 broken or damaged power poles and numerous downed trees. Once damage assessment is complete, I&M will have a better idea of estimated restoration times.

A robust restoration team of 2,500 I&M employees, mutual assistance personnel and contractors will work long hours Monday to safely restore service to impacted customers.

Line workers, damage assessors, tree trimming crews, along with various support staff are taking part in the restoration effort.

In preparation for severe weather, I&M requested mutual assistance crews in advance of Sunday’s storms. Crews have already arrived or will arrive throughout Monday from our AEP sister company Appalachian Power Company, while other crews will arrive from surrounding areas in Indiana and Michigan and as far away as Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, West Virginia, Virginia and Alabama.

Safety remains a significant concern. Please treat any downed lines as energized. Call local police to report any hazards or call I&M immediately at 1(800) 311-4634.

IM will provide regular updates with outage information and restoration estimates as crews continue to work.