Power outages decreasing

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - According to Indiana Michigan Power's website, the company continues to make progress in its restoration efforts following the ice storm that hit the Fort Wayne area Friday.

As of 8:45 p.m. Tuesday night, about 16,000 customers were still without power.

That number has been steadily decreasing since Monday.  The number of customers fell from almost 42,000 Monday afternoon to 37,000 that night, to 22,000 Tuesday afternoon.

Freezing temperatures and strong winds continued to create power outages for many customers.

Of 210 circuits in the Fort Wayne area, 142 were damaged.  The added weight on tree limbs from the ice caused tree limbs to come down on electricla lines.  I & M representatives say a quarter inch of ice adds 500-pounds to the lines. The Fort Wayne area had up to three-quarters of an inch. "That added weight of the ice on the lines certainly doesn't help and when a tree comes down and falls on it, it doesn't take much for that line to fall down," said David Mayne, Indiana Michigan Power.