Power outages, strong winds Saturday 'really something'

CEDARBURG, Wis. - Trees were uprooted, power lines were snapped in half and thousands were without power as Mother Nature made her way through southeastern Wisconsin on Saturday, Nov. 5.

Cedarburg resident Paula Motte said the sky was dark, and wind gusts felt like they could sweep her off her feet.

"I mean this is really something," said Motte. "I was down the road and, of course, I could see all the lines down."

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Eight electrical poles were blown over along Western Road in Cedarburg, some of which snapped and were laying in the road. Motte said her neighbors lost power, and she's trying to make the most of the situation. 

"Get a generator now, that’s how it made me feel," Motte said. "I have got all my cars powering something."

Germantown residents were without power, too – including an assisted living home that was in the dark. One resident there told FOX6 that, without power, they have no working elevators which could be dangerous for residents with walkers. FOX6 reached out to that facility, The Gables of Germantown, but did not hear back.

FOX6 Meteorologist Eric Manges said some parts of southeastern Wisconsin saw winds of up to 60 mph.

We Energies responds

A We Energies spokesperson said, as of 9 p.m. Saturday, 46,000 customers were still without power Saturday night. Crews restored power to 33,000 and will be working all night to restore the rest.

We Energies reminds customers to stay 25 feet away from downed wires and report it; they are working around the clock to restore power.

The online We Energies outage map provides tools to track and report outages, as well as tips on what to do.