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November 14, 2003Weather causes numerous power outages across the regionGreat Lakes Energy says 40K without powerByRecord-Eagle staff writer GRAYLING - Sharron Wroblewski and her 12-year-old grandson, Jeffery Valeck, stayed warm and dry Thursday, enjoying a lunch of pizza, soup and salad at Bear's Den Pizzeria in Grayling after high winds knocked out power at their homes.
Power company officials say it could be as late as Sunday before power is restored to some customers. Wroblewski said she waited in long lines at Grayling stores where she bought extra water and food that could be easily prepared. She said she could have made lunch at home in her generator-powered camper but opted to take her grandson out for a warm meal. Valeck, a seventh-grader at Grayling Middle School, didn't have school and was ready to watch rented movies and play his Game Boy in the camper. "Even though there was no power, it's still better than being in school," Valeck said.
"People come by and I have to wave them in because of the dark windows," branch manager Lebeth Nester said. Nester was on hand to answer questions but had to give people return passes for today or send then to Roscommon or Gaylord because the camera and other equipment were down. Dave Guzniczak, spokesman for Great Lakes Energy in Boyne City, said 40,000 customers were without power Thursday morning in the utility's 26-county area that runs from Emmet County down the Lake Michigan shoreline to Allegan and Barry counties in West Michigan. Guzniczak advised customers to make emergency arrangements if power wasn't restored by Thursday evening. Consumers Energy spokesman Tim Pietriyga said 75,000 of its customers were without power Thursday and some areas may not be restored until late Saturday.
Kalkaska and the Houghton Lake areas were the hardest hit of areas receiving snow. Those spots saw 4 to 6 inches. Winds reached as high as 79 mph in Presque Isle County and 62 mph in Pellston early Thursday morning.
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