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ALPENA — All of Alpena Power Company service territory remains under a winter storm warning with forecasted snow totals of 4 to 8 inches with wind gusting to 55 miles per hour. This major winter storm is affecting much of the midwest with all of Michigan under either a blizzard or winter storm, or high wind Warning.

As of 9:50 a,m, today Alpena Power customers are not experiencing any outages, however over 115,000 Michiganders are without power mainly in mid-Michigan, northwest lower and Upper Peninsulas.

With the storm expected to continue into Tuesday we urge all customers to remain vigilant and continue to follow their emergency preparedness plans until the storm has fully passed. Your safety is a priority, and we appreciate your continued cooperation, patience and understanding during this time.

Here are some tips to help during the storm and the possibility of power outages:

Keep all electronic devices charged.

– If you have electrically powered medical devices, such as an oxygen generator, be sure to have backup supplies on hand and have a plan to move to another location until power is restored.

– Have an emergency battery or charging station available for use during an outage.

– Have an emergency kit that includes flashlights, extra batteries, water, canned food, and blankets and be prepared with enough medication, baby supplies and pet foods as applicable.

– A battery-operated radio is also a good idea.

– To report a power outage call (989) 358-4900 Option 1 or to report an emergency call (989) 358-4900 Option 2.

– If you see a downed power line call 911 or (989) 358-4900 immediately.

– Do not assume that because your power is out that the line is not energized.

– Do not approach the line, stay at least 25 feet away from the line and anything (fences, sheds, etc.) that it is touching, keep all children and pets away.

Also keep the following safety tips in mind:

– Be alert to crews working along slippery and ice-covered roads. Drivers should slow down or stop and wait for oncoming traffic to clear so they safely go past workers on roadsides.

– If using a generator, ensure they are connected properly and legally with a transfer switch so they cannot back feed into the power lines and cause danger to our crews or the public.