CHICAGO, Oct. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 300 ComEd crews are working to restore power to about 127,000 customers after the most severe storm since July 2003 brought down power lines and damaged equipment in the ComEd service territory overnight. Service to nearly 200,000 customers has already been restored.
Due to the extent of damage, ComEd expects to have service restored to the majority of customers by late Wednesday. Service in severely affected areas may not be fully restored until Thursday. The outages were caused by 65 mph winds and heavy rain that caused fallen tree limbs and power lines and flooding. ComEd patrollers and damage assessment coordinators continue to assess the effects of the storm.
At the peak of the storm, 320,000 ComEd customers were without power. Of the customers who remain without power, 55,000 are in Chicago; 66,000 are in the south suburbs; 5,400 are in the north suburbs; and 350 are in the west suburbs. In addition to ComEd crews working 16-hour shifts, ComEd also is receiving assistance from other utilities, including KC Power, Midwest Energy and PECO Energy.
"Damage to our system was extensive," said ComEd President J. Barry Mitchell. "The bulk of the outages occurred Monday night, when strong winds, lightning and hail rolled through our service territory. Our crews are performing incredibly well, but due to the severity of the storm and predictions of more severe weather on the way, there may be additional outages as weakened trees and branches continue to affect our power lines."
While another round of storms are predicted for Tuesday evening, ComEd is prepared to continue its restoration efforts. The company's emergency operations centers will remain open to manage the restoration effort, and ComEd has postponed scheduled work that would require equipment to be out of service. ComEd will be setting up five remote reporting locations to stage crews which will be arriving from other utilities.
Customers who see a downed power line should immediately call ComEd at 1- 800-EDISON1 (1-800-334-7661) and report the location. Spanish-speaking customers should call 1-800-95-LUCES (1-800-955-8237). Downed power lines can be live and extremely dangerous.
Tips for customers experiencing an outage include:
-- Turn off all appliances including your furnace, water heater, and
water pump.
-- Leave a lamp on so you can know when power has been restored and to
avoid a circuit overload when power is restored.
-- Keep freezer and refrigerator doors closed and open them only when
necessary. Food will stay frozen for 36 to 48 hours in a fully loaded
freezer, if the door remains closed. A half-full freezer will
generally keep food frozen for 24 hours.
-- If you are on a medical support system, you are encouraged to evacuate
to a place where you can be comfortable and safe.
Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation , one of the nation's largest electric utilities with approximately 5.2 million customers and more than $15 billion in annual revenues. ComEd provides service to approximately 3.7 million customers across Northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state's population.
