UDPATE: The power is back on for half of the nearly 50,000 customers who lost service yesterday when damaging winds and bitterly cold temperatures swept across Appalachian Power’s three-state service area. Hundreds of additional line workers from other states began arriving in hard-hit Virginia today, and still more will join the storm restoration effort tomorrow.
Initial restoration times have been established for all locations. Restoration will likely extend into Tuesday in areas with extreme damage.
Outages
- Roughly 90 percent of the customers who remain without electric service are in Virginia.
- Bitter cold temperatures continue to cause delays getting power back on once repairs have been made.
- In addition to weather-related outages, extremely cold temperatures across the region have created extraordinary demands on the power system, prompting Appalachian Power and other electric utilities across several states to ask customers to reduce electric use.
Restoration Estimates
Most customers should have service restored as follows:
Tonight
- West Virginia customers, except those in the Northern Panhandle
- Virginia customers in Buchanan, Dickenson, Giles, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, and Wise counties
- Tennessee customers
Tomorrow Night
- Northern Panhandle customers in West Virginia
- Bland, Carroll, Grayson, Montgomery, Pulaski and Wythe County customers in Virginia
Monday Night
- Albemarle, Amherst, Floyd and Nelson counties in Virginia
Tuesday Night
- Bedford, Botetourt, Campbell, Franklin, Henry, Patrick, Pittsylvania and Roanoke counties, along with the cities of Lynchburg and Roanoke in Virginia
Weather
- Extreme cold temperatures are creating line overload problems when trying to restore large numbers of customers.
- After repairs are complete, we will restore power to small groups of customers, letting electric load settle before restoring additional customers.
- Customers with outages can help speed restoration by turning off large electric using appliances, such as heaters and water heaters, until 15 or more minutes after power has been restored.
What You Can Do to Help
To help ensure adequate power supply across the multi-state area experiencing extreme cold temperatures, Appalachian Power and PJM, the regional power grid operator, are asking businesses and residential customers to reduce electricity use through December 25 at 10 a.m. by:
- Setting your thermostat lower than usual, if health allows
- Postponing the use of major electric appliances such as stoves, dishwashers and clothes dryers
- Turning off non-essential electric lights, equipment and appliances
More information about this request is posted on Appalachian Power’s website at https://www.appalachianpower.com/company/news/view?releaseID=8796
EARLIER: Appalachian Power is reporting a few thousand customers without power as of this morning. The areas include Oakley Avenue, Campbell Avenue, and the New London area. Earlier Friday, a downed tree closed the 3600 block of Wards Road.
Appalachian Power says its crews are working around the clock to restore power as temperatures drop. Here is more information:
| We know you depend on us to keep the power on, especially during the extreme cold and when many are celebrating the holidays. In advance of the storm system’s expected arrival, Appalachian Power’s line employees, contractors and tree workers are on alert for the possibility of service restoration work. However, road conditions, lingering wind gusts and extreme wind chills could delay some restoration efforts.We’ll continue to update you as information becomes available. In the meantime, we encourage customers to be prepared should outages occur. Check out the below resources for additional information on how to keep you and your loved ones safe.Before the Storm |
| Make a plan in the event a power outage occurs. Check with those who are elderly, have young children or have medical conditions to ensure they have a plan — and don’t forget your pets. |
| Charge devices such as phones, laptops, portable chargers and other electronics that will help you stay connected.Prepare an emergency kit. At a minimum, include non-perishable food, water, a flashlight, batteries, a battery-powered radio, a first-aid kit and necessary medications.Important Safety RemindersRemember, all downed lines are dangerous — they carry an electric current that can cause serious or even fatal injuries. Stay away to stay alive. If you encounter a fallen wire, keep yourself and others away from it and anything it may be touching, and call 911 and Appalachian Power at 1-800-956-4237 immediately.Never operate lanterns, heaters, fuel-fired stoves or burn charcoal without proper ventilation to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning and fires.If you use a portable or RV generator, do not plug the generator into your circuit box. Learn more about portable generator safety.Additional safety tips are posted at AppalachianPower.com/Safety. |
| Stay ConnectedMake sure you’re signed up to receive outage alerts and updates:Sign up for Appalachian Power AlertsYou can also track and report outages with the Appalachian Power mobile app. |