AKRON, Ohio, Feb. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Of the more than half a million FirstEnergy utility customers affected by the recent wind storm, service has been restored to 96 percent as of 4 p.m. Friday. Restoration efforts continue for the approximately 19,000 customers of Ohio Edison, Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company, Pennsylvania Power, Pennsylvania Electric, Metropolitan Edison and Jersey Central Power & Light who remain without power. Restoration has been completed for customers of Toledo Edison.
During the restoration process, more than 650 line, forestry and hazard crews replaced more than 350 poles, thousands of spans of wire, and hundreds of transformers, insulators and cross-arms.
Due to the extent of the damage, restoration to all affected customers is not expected to be complete until midnight Saturday in some areas, including Ashtabula, Concord and Salem in Ohio, and Erie, Girard and Johnstown in Pennsylvania. More than half of the remaining outages are concentrated in these areas.
Customers are cautioned never to touch downed lines. Always assume downed wires are carrying electricity, and keep children and pets away from downed wires. Never try to remove trees or limbs from power lines because the trees and limbs could conduct electricity. Instead, customers should wait for emergency services or utility crews to arrive.
FirstEnergy urges customers to use the automated outage reporting line -- 1-888-544-4877 (1-888-LIGHTSS) -- to report any outages. Customers responding to downed lines are urged to follow the prompts or to report the downed lines to their local police or fire departments.
Tips for customers without power: -- Avoid opening the refrigerator or freezer. A full freezer can keep food frozen for up to three days if it's kept closed. -- Unplug major appliances until after the power has been restored. Keep one light connected so you will know when the power is back on. -- Never use a stove or oven to heat your home. -- Burning candles should never be left unattended in a house. -- Gasoline-powered generators should never be operated inside a home or attached garage.
