The city of Detroit is apparently suffering a major power outage on Tuesday, December 2nd. Multiple sources are reporting that the power in downtown Detroit has been down for almost two hours so far. The ongoing Detroit power outage is impacting hundreds of schools, businesses and fire stations throughout the area.
Major cable failure behind Detroit power outage
According to a press release issued by the the City of Detroit this morning, a “major cable failure” has shut down the downtown grid as of about 10:30 a.m., impacting all of Detroit’s Public Lighting Department’s roughly 100 customers in the area.
“We have isolated the issue and are working to restore power as soon as possible,” the statement continued.
Emergency services still available by landline or radio
The Detroit Fire Department is reporting that some fire stations are using generator power, but all stations are able to take calls by landline or radio.
The county courthouse and the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center were evacuated. Of note, the over 1,200 inmates at Jail Divisions 1 and 2 were locked down until power is restored, according to Lt. Brian Earle with the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office
The Detroit Medical Center’s Detroit Receiving Hospital has started to reroute the highest-level trauma patients to Henry Ford and St. John’s main hospitals, but emergency power system have kept patients “safe and well cared for.” DMC spokeswoman Sarah Collica said she was told “the lights flickered on and off — an indication that crews are working on the problem,” she said, but stressed that patient care was not affected. She also noted that DMC will update families and patients at 3 p.m.
Most schools closing
Students were told to go home at 13 of the 15 schools in the Detroit Education Achievement Authority. The only two schools with power and that remain open are Law Academy and Mumford High, noted Mario Morrow, spokesman for the EAA.
Per protocol, school students who ride the bus to school are being bused back home again. Children who walk to school, however, are not being dismissed until their parents come get them. “We’ll hold them until dismissal time,” as necessary, Morrow said, but the district is requesting parents to pick up their kids as soon as possible. “The buildings are getting cold.”
At Detroit Public Schools, where 87 out of 97 schools have been affected by the power outage, all schools will be following a half-day dismissal procedure. The specific time that children will be dismissed from school will vary, explained Michelle Zdrodowski, spokeswoman for the district.
