WPS thanks customers for patience and kindness during winter storm event

GREEN BAY — Wisconsin Public Service (WPS) is thanking customers for their patience during last week’s massive storm restoration. A strong snow and wind storm on April 2 and 3 knocked out power to 120,000 customers.

More than 500 field workers from across Wisconsin and the Midwest worked tirelessly to get the lights back on. The wind and snow caused significant damage to the power grid, requiring one of the largest restoration efforts in WPS history.

Storm restoration facts:

• More than 40 miles of power lines restrung.

• 300 poles and more than 20,000 other pieces of equipment replaced.

• More than 500 workers from across four states.

• More than 40,000 work hours completed by WPS employees and contractors.

“We had an army of men and women from across Wisconsin and the Midwest working around the clock to repair the damage and get our customers restored as quickly and safely as possible,” said Mike Hooper, WPS president. “We appreciate our customers’ patience and support during this restoration effort.”

Customers and communities thanked field crews for their hard work. From a honked horn or a wave to a positive social media comment, countless customers thanked the men and women working to get the lights back on. Elementary school children in Menominee, Michigan, even took some time to write thank-you cards to the line crews.

WPS invests year-round in reliability, but severe weather and other events sometimes cause power outages that require many hours and even days to address.