Penelec and REA energy crews are working to restore power to their respective customers after Tuesday’s severe storms.
Penelec’s parent company First Energy says that about 113,000 people across the commonwealth lost power during the storms with winds around 70 to 80 miles an hour in some areas bringing down trees and power lines, and damaging utility poles and crossarms. As of this morning, about two-thirds of those affected in Indiana County have had power restored, but there are still 5,880 customers still without electricity. Most of the outages are in Saltsburg Boro, and Conemaugh and Rayne Townships.
REA Energy says 9519 cooperative members are still in the dark today. Most of those are due to the loss of power from their transmission power supplier, First Energy. Until the necessary repairs are made, the cooperative is unable to assess the damage from storm-related outages. The cooperative is making repairs to damaged equipment, but until the transmission feed is restored, many customers will remain without electricity.
Penelec has said that power restoration efforts will be a multi-day operation due to the extensive damage. They advise everyone who is using a generator to power their home to make sure power coming into the home is disconnected, as it could charge a wire and make things dangerous for workers. Both companies advise people to stay clear of downed power lines and treat any downed wire like it was live.
