Thanks to the nonstop work of We Energies crews and lineworkers from across the Midwest, power has been restored to nearly all customers affected by the July 27 tornado and severe weather.
We know outages are disruptive, especially after severe weather, and we appreciate customers’ patience as crews complete this difficult restoration work.
The company’s crews have restored power to more than 131,000 customers after multiple rounds of damaging storms and high winds, including a destructive EF-3 tornado moved across the state Monday.
The company expects all customers affected by this week’s storms will have power restored or a crew assigned to their outage by Thursday evening.
Monday’s destructive storms left extensive damage, requiring We Energies to replace more than 100 utility poles and put up tens of thousands of feet of overhead wires. In parts of the Fox Valley, crews are rebuilding sections of the electric system from the ground up, including replacing poles, wires and other equipment before power can be safely restored.
Some customers may need electrician for additional repairs
In addition to the destruction to We Energies’ system, some Fox Valley customers also suffered damage to their home or business’ electric equipment. This equipment — which includes wiring, electrical conduits and meter enclosures — is owned by the customer and must be repaired by a qualified electrician before We Energies can safely restore power to the home or business.
We Energies crews are available to respond as soon as these repairs to customer-owned equipment are completed. Learn more about the electric equipment owned by We Energies and individual customers.
Storm impacts natural gas service in Menasha
The tornado that moved through northeast Wisconsin also caused We Energies to temporarily turn off natural gas service to more than 250 customers in Menasha. Most customers who had service temporarily turned off are unable to have it restored at this time due to extensive damage to their home or natural gas equipment. We Energies crews are prepared to restore natural gas service to customers who can receive it as soon as power is restored to their home or business.
All available crews will continue working as quickly and safely as possible until power is fully restored. Mutual assistance crews from Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin are helping with restoration efforts.
Customers can find the latest estimated restoration time for their outage on the We Energies outage map online or mobile app.
Safety reminder
People who encounter a downed electric line should stay at least 25 feet away and report the damage to We Energies or local law enforcement immediately. Always treat any downed wire as energized.