DTE on standby for potential outages following winter blast

People in metro Detroit are gearing up and flocking to hardware stores like Great Lakes Ace in Farmington Hills as they await the incoming winter blast and ice storm. DTE crews are also watching temps closely as the system moves into the area today and is expected to linger overnight into Thursday. "This system is a bit tricky. A degree or two can mean the difference between rain and ice and so this is one of the more difficult to predict," Matt Paul the Executive VP of DTE Distribution Operations said. "A half inch of ice on our wire is equivalent to a baby grand piano." They’ve got 1500 line workers, including several hundred from surrounding states ready to head out. In the event of mass outages, DTE will be prioritizing places like hospitals and fire stations. Then they will focus on homes and businesses.