Common Council

More storms likely tonight, and some updates from MG&E

PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO WEATHER ALERTS TONIGHT!

I want to start this note off by just reminding folks that we're currently under a tornado watch and we could be in for some strong storms tonight. Hopefully they're like some of the snowstorm predictions from this winter and they fizzle out before they get to Madison, but now's a good time to check on your deck furniture and other loose items and get them stowed away for the night. And, unfortunately, now's also a good time to make sure you've got your phone charged up in case we add to the power outage woes of this week. 

Please also check in on your neighbors and share this info with them - especially those who don't use the Internet, or for those folks who are still without power and can't access the Internet. 

As for power outages, it's been a tough 48 hours for some Madisonians, and it's still ongoing for about 1000 folks across the City. I've been watching the MG&E Outage map and I've been happy to see that MG&E has got the power back on for many folks, and dismayed that there are still folks that without power. 

Many of you have no doubt seen the news stories or read the updates from MG&E about the outages, and I'm sure you appreciate the depth of the challenge. I believe MG&E when they say that this is the worst they've had to deal with for 30 years, and I'm thankful for all of the work that their crews are doing trying to restore power. I'm especially thankful for the crews from outside the area that are here working - there are as many non-MG&E crews working to restore power as there are MG&E crews, and we're glad to have them. MG&E is going to have as many folks working for as long as they can, so long as it's safe for them to keep working. 

I'm sure many of you are also frustrated by the lack of information about how repairs are going and when folks will see service restored. Again, I know MG&E is in a very difficult spot - they're set up to deal with outages that might affect 15 areas, not 300, and with half of the crews working being from out of the area I think we can all understand that getting accurate estimates is really hard. But going on no information is also really hard! 

I've been hearing from folks in the district all day, and I've had a couple of calls with MG&E today about what we can do better. MG&E is hoping to get time estimates for all remaining outages updated this afternon, but at a minimum, what I've been stressing needs to be included and what I'm hoping will be attached in the MG&E afternoon update is some guidance for which outages might be extended, so folks can make alternative plans if they know power might not return until tomorrow.

Unfortuantely, I have no information about how long any of the outages in District 3 might last, and if everything is on pace to be restored today or there might be extended outages. I have been holding off waiting as long as possible to send this update out, but given the incoming storms, I decided to send something out earlier, even without the latest MG&E update. 

The MG&E updates are at this link: https://www.mge.com/power-outage-information and you can see the outage map here: https://www.mge.com/safety-outages/power-outages/outage-map (I'm happy to see that since I've started writing the update, the count has dropped to 906 from the 1000-something when I started writing!)

Given how much progress MG&E has made today in District 3 I'm hopeful they'll have everyone back up yet today, but again, I unfortunately have no better information than what's on the outage map.

The wildcard of course is the next line of storms heading our way. Let's hope that they just give us a good light show and some rain for our flowers, but let's stay safe and be prepared if they set us back. 

Again, please check in on your neighbors and share information. I'll try to send out updates as warranted, and keep an eye on the City's news page here: https://www.cityofmadison.com/news - there you'll find the latest on how the city's cleanup from Monday's storms are going, and if there are any changes necessitated by any storms that roll through tonight.