Crews continue working 24/7 to restore
service to 265,000 customers following historic storm
AKRON,
Ohio, Aug. 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- FirstEnergy
Corp. (NYSE: FE) has restored power to more than 215,000 customers
of Ohio Edison and The Illuminating Company following a historic
weather event Tuesday that included two tornados with winds up to
110 mph in Cuyahoga County, one of
which traveled a path 17 miles long and 350 yards wide through the
heavily populated area from Brookpark to Bedford.
This was the most impactful storm to hit The Illuminating
Company service territory since July
1993, when a powerful line of thunderstorms caused power
outages to approximately 300,000 of the company's customers.
Photos and video footage of damage and FirstEnergy crews
working across northeast Ohio can
be viewed or downloaded here.
More than 3,050 line workers from FirstEnergy, contractor
companies and mutual assistance organizations, assisted by more
than 1,000 damage assessors, hazard responders, forestry and other
support personnel from inside and outside the company, are working
around the clock in 16-hour shifts to make repairs as quickly and
safely as possible. Hundreds of additional crews are expected to
arrive throughout today and begin assisting.
FirstEnergy has begun setting up staging sites across the
greater Cleveland area to handle
the influx of outside workers and help make the restoration process
more efficient. These sites operate like mini-cities in the
hardest-hit areas, offering workers a place stock up on materials
and supplies as they work to restore power.
There are currently hundreds, even thousands, of damage
locations recorded across northeast Ohio, with more broken poles and equipment
issues being reported in real-time as field workers continue to
assess the outage locations and make repairs.
Current outage updates as of 10
a.m. today include:
- The Illuminating Company: Approximately 322,600
Illuminating Company customers lost power from the storm, and
248,300 remain without power. Power will be restored to the
majority of customers by 11:30 p.m. on
Wednesday, Aug. 14.
- Ohio Edison: Approximately 106,900 Ohio Edison
customers lost power from the storm, and 9,100 remain without
power. While many remaining customers should be back up and running
through the day today and tomorrow, those in the hardest-hit areas
of Trumbull County could be
without service until Saturday.
Established while crews are restoring power and assessing the
full extent of damages, the initial "global estimated time of
restoration" (ETR) represents an estimate of when service will be
restored to the majority of customers following major
outage events. Work to restore power continues around the clock,
and many customers will have service restored sooner, based on the
level of damage in their area.
As additional information about necessary repairs is understood,
more detailed ETRs are provided. Customers can view their current
individual ETR for their particular outage by logging into their
account at firstenergycorp.com, texting STAT to 54487, or viewing
the outage map at firstenergycorp.com/outages.
FirstEnergy's Restoration Process:
FirstEnergy follows a formal restoration process after severe
weather, focusing on repairs that will address the largest number
of customers before moving on to more isolated issues. The
restoration effort typically begins with transmission and
substation facilities and then prioritizes critical facilities like
hospitals, communications and emergency response agencies.
Additionally, hundreds of isolated issues affect individual or
small numbers of customers. These are the most time-consuming
repairs because they require our crews to go to each individual
location to make the repairs. Many of the isolated issues include
repairs to "service drops," which are wires attached to each home
to deliver electricity from the neighborhood power line. These
wires are often damaged by fallen trees and large branches.
For updated information on the company's current outages, storm
restoration process and tips for staying safe, visit FirstEnergy's
24/7 Power Center at firstenergycorp.com/outages. To learn more
about navigating the recently updated map, please visit
bit.ly/FEoutagemapupdates.
Generator Safety Reminder:
To ensure the safety of the home's occupants as well as that of
electric company employees who may be working on power lines in the
area, the proper generator should be selected and installed by a
qualified electrician.
When operating a generator, the power coming into the home
should always be disconnected. Otherwise, power from the generator
could be sent back onto the power lines, creating a hazardous
situation for company workers. Locate the generator outside of your
home and far away from windows, doors and vents. Never locate a
generator inside your home.
View additional generator safety information.
FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and
operational excellence. Its electric distribution companies form
one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems,
serving customers in Ohio,
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West
Virginia, Maryland and
New York. The company's
transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of
transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic
regions. Visit FirstEnergy online at firstenergycorp.com and
follow FirstEnergy and its operating companies on X, formerly known
as Twitter, @FirstEnergyCorp, @IlluminatingCo, @OhioEdison.
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/thousands-of-personnel-engaged-in-firstenergys-power-restoration-effort-in-northeast-ohio-302218140.html
SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.