After historic storm, teams continue to work around the clock to restore power to 265,000 customers
Akron, Ohio, 8 August 2024 /PRNewswire/ — FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE:FE) has restored power to more than 215,000 Ohio Edison and The Illuminating Company customers following a historic weather event Tuesday that included two tornadoes with winds up to 110 mph. Cuyahoga Countyone of which is a 17-mile long and 350-yard wide path through the densely populated area of Brookpark to Bedford.
This was the worst storm in the Illuminating Company’s service area since July 1993when a series of severe thunderstorms caused a power outage for about 300,000 of the company’s customers.
Photos and video of damage and FirstEnergy teams in the Northeast Ohio can be viewed or downloaded here.
More than 3,050 workers from FirstEnergy, contractors and relief agencies are working around the clock in 16-hour shifts to make repairs as quickly and safely as possible. They are supported by more than 1,000 damage assessors, hazard workers, forest workers and other relief workers inside and outside the company. Hundreds more teams are expected to begin assisting throughout the day.
FirstEnergy has begun setting up staging sites throughout the metropolitan area. Cleveland area to handle the influx of outside workers and make the reconstruction process more efficient. These sites function like mini-cities in the hardest-hit areas, providing workers a place to stock up on materials and supplies while they work to restore power.
Currently, hundreds, even thousands, of damage sites have been recorded throughout the Northeast. Ohiowith additional mast breaks and equipment problems being reported in real time while field staff continue to evaluate failure points and make repairs.
Current disruption updates from 10 am today include:
- The enlightening company: About 322,600 Illuminating Company customers lost power due to the storm, and 248,300 are still without power. Power to most customers will be restored until Wednesday, 11:30 p.m.14.August.
- OhioEdison: About 106,900 Ohio Edison customers lost power due to the storm, and 9,100 are still without power. While many of the remaining customers should have power restored today and tomorrow, those in the hardest hit areas Trumbull County could be out of service until Saturday.
The initial “estimated global restoration time” (ETR) is determined as teams restore power and assess the full extent of the damage. It represents an estimate of when supply will be restored to the majority of customers following major power outages. Work to restore power will continue around the clock and many customers will have supply restored sooner due to the extent of the damage in their area.
More detailed ETRs will be provided as more information on necessary repairs becomes available. Customers can view their current individual ETR for their specific outage by logging into their account at firstenergycorp.com, texting STAT to 54487, or viewing the outage map at firstenergycorp.com/outages.
FirstEnergy’s recovery process:
FirstEnergy follows a formal restoration process after severe weather, focusing on repairs that affect the largest number of customers before moving on to more isolated problems. Restoration efforts typically begin with transmission and substations and then prioritize critical facilities such as hospitals, communications and emergency services.
In addition, hundreds of individual issues affect one or a few customers. These repairs are the most time-consuming because our crews must travel to each individual location to make the repairs. Many of the individual issues involve repairs to “service drops,” which are lines that are connected to each home to deliver power from the neighborhood’s power line. These lines are often damaged by fallen trees and large branches.
For up-to-date information on the company’s current outages, storm recovery process and safety tips, visit FirstEnergy’s 24/7 Power Center at firstenergycorp.com/outages. For more information on navigating the recently updated map, visit bit.ly/FEoutagemapupdates.
Safety information for the generator:
To ensure the safety of home occupants as well as power company employees who may be working on power lines in the area, the correct generator should be selected and installed by a qualified electrician.
When operating a generator, the power to the house should always be turned off. Otherwise, the power from the generator could be redirected to the power lines, which could create a dangerous situation for the company’s employees. Place the generator outside your home and away from windows, doors and vents. Never place a generator inside your home.
View additional generator safety information.
FirstEnergy is committed to integrity, safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its electric distribution companies form one of the largest investor-owned power systems in the country, 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 connecting the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic region. Visit FirstEnergy online at www.firstenergycorp.com and follow FirstEnergy and its operating companies on X, formerly known as Twitter, @FirstEnergyCorp, @IlluminatingCo, @OhioEdison.
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SOURCE: FirstEnergy Corp.
