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Storm Knocks Out Trees and Power In Charlotte and Potterville

The Capitol region communities of Charlotte and Potterville experienced a power outages following overnight storms, and businesses are working to adapt.  

Crews are working to restore power throughout the Lansing and Grand Rapids areas following Friday's early morning storms. Some wind gusts were measured between 60-90 miles per hour.  

At 1:30 p.m., Consumers Energy outage map listed 140,000 people without power.  Some areas would not be restored until 9:30 p.m. on Sunday. Click here to see the outage map.

In Charlotte, WKAR's Kevin Lavery reports at least one tree fell on a house. No one was inside the homea t the time.  He also observed numerous tree mulching trucks trying to clear the roads of downed trees.

On Twitter, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder said "utility companies are calling in additional resources to help get power up and running as quickly as possible."  

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WKAR's Reginald Hardwick reports from Potterville in Eaton County. Most homes and businesses in the city lost power because of the July 7, 2017 storms.

We checked in with the city hall and several businesses in Potterville in Eaton County. Most had no power all morning following thunderstorms that came through with high winds and heavy rain.

The city hall had no power. 

The gas pumps at Frank's Food Mart along Lansing Road are not functioning. Inside, only cash transactions are being accepted.

At Johnny's store at the Shell gas station across the street, workers packed up meat and milk products to be driven to another store so they wouldn't spoil.

Aaron Rankin is the general manager at Diesel Equipment in Potterville. He spent the morning in a dark office calling clients to tell them they had no power. He lives in Charlotte. The storm woke his family up around 4:00 a.m. Friday.

"There's trees all over the place," said Rankin. "The roads are littered, uprooted, power lines down. It looks like a war zone."

WKAR will update you on efforts to restore power in mid-Michigan.

Kevin Lavery served as a general assignment reporter and occasional local host for Morning Edition and All Things Considered before retiring in 2023.
Scott Pohl is a general assignment news reporter and produces news features and interviews. He is also an alternate local host on NPR's "Morning Edition."
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