(12/01/19) - The winter storm leaving over 32,000 without power, but one mid-Michigan county was hit harder than the rest.
According to Consumers Energy, Midland County makes up over 12,000 of those affected or 37%.
"Our biggest concern is the heat, making sure that the house can stay warm enough and that we have food in the refrigerator and try to keep the refrigerator closed, so that you can keep it cold in there as long as possible, so it will last," Midland County resident, Amie Munger said.
Susan Gaul also lives in Midland County, and as a devoted gardener, she says she's concerned about her white pine tree. She says changes in weather are already damaging the Michigan State tree across the lower peninsula, and she hopes hers stays standing tall.
"We got a quarter inch of ice, and then we had the heavy, wet snow on top of that plus the wind, and it just snaps the branches because they're pines, so they have a lot of needles and stuff and they hold a tremendous amount of weight. Once the top branch goes, it knocks it subsequent ones down below," Gaul said.
As for safety tips, Consumers Energy says to stay at least 25 feet away from downed wires and anything it's touching. Once you're safe, call 9-1-1 to report the outage.
"Everybody's got to watch above. Don't just always watch your feet. Watch above your heads. If not, you can have one heck of an accident." Mike Lovodzinski said. Lovodzinski started plowing snow at 5:00 a.m. on Sunday morning.
For more safety tips, check out this story on our website.