CHICAGO, June 20 /PRNewswire/ -- In the wake of two severe storms that downed power lines and damaged poles on Friday, ComEd is working around the clock to restore power to affected customers throughout its service territory. The utility already has restored more than 215,000 customers impacted by yesterday's severe weather.
Due to the severity of the storms and the extensive damage across its entire service territory, ComEd is expecting a multi-day restoration effort. At the peak, more than 121,000 customers were without power. The majority of the remaining 67,000 affected customers are expected to be restored by noon, Sunday, June 21. However some areas have experienced more extensive damage and will take longer to return to service.
More than 270 crews are working to restore customers who are without power. Locations most affected by power outages include Bolingbrook and Glenbard. An incident command center has been set up in Glenbard to support efforts in restoring power to this hard hit area.
"We greatly appreciate our customers' patience during this restoration effort," said Terry Donnelly, executive vice president, Operations, ComEd. "We recognize that an outage of any duration is an inconvenience to our customers, and we are using every available resource to restore service as quickly as possible."
In preparation for the storms, ComEd opened its regional operations offices, and since the start of the first storm has mobilized more than 350 ComEd crews for storm response. The regional offices will remain open and fully staffed until restoration is complete.
Public safety is paramount. Customers are reminded: -- Anyone seeing a downed power line is urged to 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). -- Never approach a downed power line. Always presume a power line is energized and extremely dangerous. -- Check on elderly and other sensitive family members and neighbors to ensure their safety and make alternate arrangements, as it may be some time before their power is restored.
ComEd also offers the following suggestions for customers experiencing a prolonged outage:
-- 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. -- 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. -- Customers who are on medical support equipment are strongly encouraged to evacuate to a place where they 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 5.4 million customers. ComEd provides service to approximately 3.8 million customers across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state's population.
ComEd
CONTACT: ComEd Media Relations +1-312-394-3500
Web Site: http://www.exeloncorp.com/
