Ice Storm 2025 Update #5
A storm like several days of hurricanes....
Days and days and days after the ice storm hit, is a long time without power, light or heat. We are grateful that men and women are working so hard to get everyone back online. Facebook - love it or leave it - has been the source of communication for so many.
Facebook Connects Neighbors
“Emmet county fairgrounds has lots of free 1 gallon bottles of water from Meijers for those who need drinking water and little Caesars pizza will be at the Pellston airport Friday and Saturday from noon to three with free pizza spread the word”
“One lesson learned for me is there is a device the utility can install in your power meter to allow easy portable generator hookup.” https://www.globalpowerproducts.com/.../generlink.../
“I wrote GLE and they responded with we are on grid PN3 and could tell it is being worked on. So there’s hope!”
“A shout-out to Good Hart General Store @ 1075 N Lake Shore Drive, Good Hart, MI. Best pies in the north.” https://www.facebook.com/goodhartstore
Big Picture Michigan
Mackinac Island State Park had ‘unprecedented damage’ in ice storm, half of iconic M-185 road impassable
Recovering from the storm: An historic ice storm that did an incredible amount of damage to trees and the power grid across Northern Michigan has also left many of Mackinac Island’s beautiful interior trails and a big section of its iconic M-185 perimeter road impassable, state park officials say. For now, the state park land—which makes up more than 80% of the island—is mostly closed to visitors as the massive clean-up job continues, said Dominick Miller, chief of marketing for Mackinac State Historic Parks.
UPDATE: The Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau says everything will be open and normal for the upcoming season, starting April 25 into May
Michigan State parks, campground, overnight lodging closures
The DNR anticipates that the majority of affected state park campgrounds and overnight lodging locations will open by their scheduled spring 2025 opening dates, with associated state parks opening the same day. However, some parks, state park campgrounds, and lodging locations may require extra preparation time, causing openings to be postponed by a couple of weeks. To find an updated list of closures, visit Michigan.gov/DNRClosures and search “ice storm.”
DNR Customer Service Center in Gaylord has reopened (Otsego County) After the severe ice storms in northern Michigan, the DNR Customer Service Center has reopened after a brief closure. Please keep in mind that some state parks remain temporarily closed for assessment and cleanup. Additionally, all state-managed trails in a dozen northern Michigan counties are temporarily closed. The DNR urges the public to respect closures and exercise extreme caution. (updated 4/8/25)
Victims of the catastrophic Northern Michigan ice storm can get a state tax extension, officials announced. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced the special tax relief last week for individuals and businesses in the 12 counties affected by the emergency declaration.
Rural restoration and rebuilding present unique challenges
Are you one of the 847 GLE customers without lights? Like all electric cooperatives, Great Lakes Energy’s roots are in serving the people who live in rural areas.
Electric cooperatives were born in these less-populated areas in the 1930s when farmers and other residents banded together to bring electric service to remote areas that for-profit utilities refused to serve. Because of this, all of our service area is rural and sometimes very remote.
While we love the wide-open spaces that make up our service area as much as you do, serving these regions comes with its own unique set of challenges – especially during storm restoration. GLE has more than 14,000 miles of distribution lines spanning portions of 26 counties from north of Kalamazoo to the Mackinac Bridge.
Many of these lines are not easily accessible along main roads. In fact, many of our lines aren’t along roads at all. Some are in the woods, across fields, on hills, in swamps, and many other hard-to-reach locations making accessing and repairing these poles and lines especially challenging. For outage updates, please visit https://www.gtlakes.com/power-outages/.
Tell us about what is being done for many in the community, now 13 days still in the dark cold. weloveharborsprings@gmail.com
The Brief
Full or part-time residents should sign up for www.smart911.com to help emergency services in the future. This provides Emmet county with key information about you for notification, evacuation and other emergencies. It is designed to help 911 wherever you live.
Emmet county is coordinating by official communication emergency services across the region. BeAlert Emergency Notification System: Sign up at www.cce911.com. Emmet County website: www.emmetcounty.org Facebook: CCE911, Emmet County Sheriff’s Office, Petoskey Department of Public Safety, Emmet County.
The City Facebook page, HS Police Facebook page, Petoskey Facebook Page, and the City website provide updates when they can.
Non-Emergency Citizen Requests: 211 or (231) 348-1704
Sign up for the City Emails to stay up to date or text HARBORSPRINGS (in CAPS) to the number 91896 to receive updates on your phone. Remember to confirm YES when asked to reply.
ADDITIONAL EMERGENCY LINKS:
The Winding Road to Home
Shelters Offering Vital Support:
Warming shelters remain operational and are ready to assist with food, water, and medical care. Location status and hours will be changing and updated daily
Updated For April 10, 2025:
Odawa Hotel: 24 hours, 1444 US-31, Petoskey, MI 49770
Bear Creek Township Hall: 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., closing Sunday 4-13 at 8 p.m. 373 N Division Rd, Petoskey, MI 49770
Holy Childhood of Jesus Catholic Church: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., shelter services ending after 4-11-25 at 8 p.m., 150 W. Main St, Harbor Springs, MI 49740
Church of the Straits: CLOSED, contact Bill Doest 269-650-1642 for assistance
Springvale Twp. Hall: 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., 8198 E. Mitchell, Petoskey MI 49770
Cross Village Community Center: 24 hours, 5949 Wadsworth, Cross Village MI 49723
Bliss Township Hall: 24 hours, 265 W. Sturgeon Bay Tr., Levering MI 49755
Center Township Hall: 12pm to 8pm, 981 W. Van Rd., Pellston, MI 49769
Epsilon Community Church: 10am – 8 pm 8204 E. Mitchell, Petoskey, MI 49770 (hot showers and Laundry Facilities available) bring your own detergent. Call 231-348-8432
Donations
A brand new way to help. Time to be the first to donate to your neighbors
The Friendship Center of Harbor Springs. Their mission is to enrich the quality of life and support independence and vitality for all area older adults. https://www.gofundme.com/charity/friendship-center-of-harbor-springs
Please donate & help available at Harbor Springs Food Pantry: Your donation is the start of Harbor Springs Community Food Pantry’s journey to success on GoFundMe. Your early support inspires others to donate.https://www.gofundme.com/charity/harbor-springs-community-food-pantry
Please donate & help available at Manna Food Project: https://www.mannafoodproject.org/about/
Over the course of a few days, Northern Michigan’s maple syrup industry suffered one of the worst natural disasters in its history—please help if able https://gofund.me/d6f17920
Pick up food at the local groceria’s - they may have free food available to help.
The Harbor Springs Police Department would like to sincerely thank the individual(s) who placed the "Thank you" sign outside our station. We are truly grateful for the incredible community we serve, and we will never take your support for granted. God bless you all.
Help Needed and Help Offered
Need More Work? We Need You!
If you and your crews are not as busy as you’d like, or if you’re looking to take on more work, we’d love to connect with you. Whether you’re an electrician, roofer, plumber, or HVAC technician, your skills are in high demand right now. Local businesses and homeowners need help to repair the damages caused by the recent power outages, and we want to speed up the process and restore normalcy as soon as possible.
If you cannot find help (non-emergency) feel free to reach out to weloveharborsprings@gmail.com, and we will try to track down some answers. We have volunteers that can help you or drive you to Walgreens, Kebel or to the phone stores to re-up your monthly plans.
Nate Graham is coordinating extra help for people cleaning up yards, who need extra food, or need small repairs. Please text him on his mobile, and he will coordinate help: (231) 838-6254. There are many able-bodied young people and contractors willing to help.
Let’s Work Together to Restore Our Community
By partnering with us, you’ll not only help local residents get their lives back on track, but you’ll also keep your workers busy and contribute to getting businesses and homes back to normal. It’s a win-win situation for everyone.
If you have workers available or need repairs yourself, contact us HERE.
Together, we can help our community recover and get everything back up and running faster! Let’s work to make sure everyone’s life is back on track as soon as possible.
Clean-Up & Assessment
Lost Business: The Immediate Financial Hit
For businesses, especially those that rely on digital systems or operate on a just-in-time supply chain, power outages can result in lost revenue. In retail, hospitality, and service industries, a power failure means customers can’t access goods or services, leading to empty stores and canceled bookings. Online businesses may face website downtimes, leading to lost sales and frustrated customers. These disruptions may only last a few hours, but their lasting impact on customer trust and revenue can stretch much longer.
Many small businesses cannot absorb even the short-term costs of an outage. The inability to process payments, manage inventory, or provide services means they risk losing loyal customers and damaging their reputation. Compounding this issue is the difficulty in finding skilled tradesmen to carry out the repairs needed, which can extend the recovery period even further.
Initial Business Impact Survey: This survey is an effort of the Northern Lakes Economic Alliance, and the Petoskey, Harbor Springs, Cheboygan and Charlevoix Regional Chamber of Commerce to collect information from businesses regarding the impact April's severe weather. The information will be used to advocate for funding to support business recovery efforts. If you are an individual, non-profit, or other entity, please refer to your county's emergency response page. https://form.jotform.com/250966121961055
Storm Damage Assessment – Your Help is Needed Damage assessment teams have begun their work, utilizing both ground and air teams to ensure a comprehensive evaluation. This process will continue over the coming weeks as we gather critical information and assess the full extent of the impact. If you have experienced damage to your home or property, we kindly ask that you report it through the link below. Your input will be invaluable in ensuring that resources and assistance are directed to those who need them most.
Self-Reporting Survey: Complete Damage Report
Storm Damage Clean Up and Repair: Residents are encouraged to use caution when obtaining services related to storm damage. Residents are encouraged to:
Get in touch with your insurance company,
Speak to a local licensed professional
Review credentials and references
Get more than one written estimate
Ask for a contract and read it carefully.
Avoid paying in cash, and do not pay the full amount until the job is completed to your satisfaction.
Generators: For those on portable generators that now need to get your furnace or water pump running, don’t hack the generator connection into your panel. Electricians have some ways to help wire the generator safely without causing risk for those rebuilding the power system. Call an electrician!
Debris Management: Emmet County has established seven designated debris drop-off locations where tree debris may be disposed of, free of charge. The Northern Michigan Hardwoods site on Manthei Rd. will continue to accept tree debris through 4-26-25. The Office of Emergency Management is working to identify an additional location in the southern portion of the County and will provide the location when available. Debris Drop-off Locations Thank you to the Little Traverse Conservancy.
Construction Resources /Permit Process
**** NEW Storm Damage Permit Hotline (231)439-8980
EMMET COUNTY — In response to recent storm damage, Emmet County Construction Resources Department has clarified the electrical permit procedures. According to an April 10 news release, homeowners and electrical contractors must obtain a valid electrical permit for storm-damaged properties before power can be restored.
An Emmet County electrical inspector must perform a site inspection prior to reconnection. Permit fees for storm-damage related inspections will be waived. The department is offering to deliver permit applications to homeowners and is working diligently to manage the high volume of requests.
“In light of the recent storm damage, we appreciate the ongoing cooperation and patience shown by both homeowners and electrical contractors throughout Emmet County,” the release read. “We understand this is a stressful and uncertain time for many, and our goal is to provide support while ensuring all restoration work is completed safely and in accordance with state regulations.
Department reminds residents:
Sending photos alone is not an acceptable method to initiate electrical inspections or utility service releases.
At no cost, a valid electrical permit must be obtained either by:
The homeowner occupying the property, or
A licensed electrical contractor.
A site inspection must be performed by an Emmet County electrical inspector when required by the utility provider before power can be restored. These inspections are typically required when electrical service equipment has been damaged or compromised due to the storm.
These steps are in place to ensure safety and proper documentation for all properties being reconnected to the electrical grid.
To help relieve stress during this time, the department is offering to personally deliver electrical permit applications to qualifying homeowners. This service is only available to homeowners who currently occupy the damaged structure. In many cases, its electrical inspectors can provide the application directly during the on-site inspection for added convenience.
Submitting the electrical permit application ahead of time can help expedite the inspection process. Applications can be found online by visiting www.emmetcounty.org or by stopping by our office at 3434 Harbor-Petoskey Rd, Site E, Harbor Springs, MI 49740.
Resources
Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation has launched an Emergency Response Fund to support local recovery efforts. Their intention is to keep this open for future emergencies.
A Thank You
Now is the time to support local businesses. Thank you for your contributions. Wherever you are, we’ll try to reach you.