NEENAH, Wis. (WFRV) – Widespread power outages were caused by the ice storm blanketing northeast Wisconsin today.
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Crews from both WE Energies and WPS have continued to restore power to thousands of customers throughout the day. Linemen from Intren told Local 5 that outages are caused by ice buildup on trees and power lines.
“Ice is building up at the lines, and trees are going onto the power line, and knocking the lines out,” Roy Van Zeeland, crewmember, said.
Van Van Zeeland credits the majority of outages to thick ice, causing the trees to lean on the wires.
“90% trees are contacting the line, and trees with ice are causing power outages,” Van Zeeland said.
Crews from southern Wisconsin were called up to help get power back on for thousands of customers in the surrounding communities.
“A lot of crews are coming from Milwaukee and all over the place to help get the power back on,” Van Zeeland said. “[We are] trimming the trees, trimming the wire back on if it’s broken.”
He urges homeowners to check the WE Energies website throughout the remainder of the day to stay aware of which areas do not have power.
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“If you go to the WE Energies outage map, it will give information on who’s out of power and where the outages are,” Van Zeeland said.
Crews urge staying away from any power lines that appear down and reporting it to WE Energies immediately.
