NOVI – Between March 28 and 30, 2025, northern and parts of south central Michigan faced ice and wind storms that caused widespread electricity disruptions. ITC Michigan was recognized with an Edison Electric Institute Emergency Response Award for its recovery and assistance efforts.
Brenda Houtz, Vice President of Operations for ITC Michigan, joined Mike Brennan, Editor of MITechNews.Com, to discuss the storm, award, recovery efforts and the importance of strengthening the grid to prepare for extreme weather in the future.
She said as the storm hit, ITC crews quickly realized that conditions were worse than expected. In multiple instances, teams repaired one section of a line—only to see another section fall to ice-laden trees moments later. Over the next five days, ITC coordinated closely with distribution utilities and Michigan’s State Emergency Operations Center.
Crews worked 24/7 under hazardous conditions and challenging terrains to safely and quickly restore transmission service to the affected areas. Their efforts were massive in scope, she explained: 16 damaged wood poles and 3 broken crossarms were replaced, conductors were repaired at 20 sites, and debris was cleared from 28 locations—spanning 272 miles of transmission lines.
Watch this video to get a deeper dive into this story.
For more information, click on ITCMichigan.com.
