Marquette – Nearly 5,000 Upper Peninsula Power Company (UPPCO) customers remain without power this morning following a strong wave of winter weather that brought heavy snow and high winds across the region. UPPCO and contracted crews worked through the evening in whiteout conditions and sustained winds, with additional crews now en route to assist with restoration efforts.
Beyond direct restoration work, UPPCO has expanded its field presence by deploying additional personnel to perform systemwide damage assessments. These assessments help crews pinpoint the most severe outages and accelerate power restoration in the hardest-hit areas. To support this work, UPPCO is also mobilizing specialized tracked and all-terrain equipment designed to traverse rugged, snow-covered, and remote landscapes that conventional vehicles cannot reach safely.
Crews are also working closely with local emergency management officials to support affected communities. A growing list of available warming shelters is being updated regularly at uppco.com/newsroom.
“We continue working around the clock to restore service as quickly and safely as possible,” said Dan Freeborn, UPPCO’s Manager of Communications & External Affairs. “We know how disruptive extended outages can be—especially around the holidays—and we’re committed to getting customers back online while keeping our crews and the public safe.”
Customers are reminded never to approach or touch a downed power line or anything that may be in contact with one. Stay at least 35 feet away and call 9-1-1 immediately to report a downed line.
To report an outage, customers may call UPPCO’s Customer Care Center at (906) 449-2011, email, or access their online account. Due to elevated call volumes related to the storm, customers may experience longer-than-usual wait times.