Situation
APCo crews and contractors are responding as safely and quickly as possible to assess damage and restore power to customers after Thursday morning’s high winds and heavy rain.
Since this morning, crews have restored power to more than 17,000 customers. Thousands of those outages were restored within approximately two hours, thanks to crews’ quick responses and Distribution Automation Circuit Reconfiguration (DACR) technology, which automatically reroutes electricity to an alternate source during outages.
The storm system continues to move eastward from West Virginia into parts of Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee. More severe weather and high wind gusts are expected tomorrow and later this week, which could lead to additional outages.
Weather Conditions
Strong winds and heavy rain continue to impact APCo’s service area, creating challenging conditions for crews working to safely restore power. When winds exceed 30 mph, crews cannot safely perform elevated bucket truck operations, which is contributing to delayed restoration in some areas.
Outages
More outages are possible this evening as severe weather continues to move eastward. Crews are working to resolve 218 outage cases affecting about 7,000 customers, primarily in West Virginia. Currently:
• About 6,100 customers are without electric service in West Virginia. The counties with the most outages include Jackson (610), Logan (740), Mason (1,725), Mingo (540) and Raleigh (1,300).
• About 900 customers are without electric service in Tennessee and Virginia. The most heavily impacted counties include Dickenson (130), Henry (120) and Smyth (130).
Storm Response Efforts
Approximately 1,650 APCo employees and business partners are committed to restoring power as safely and quickly as possible. Mutual assistance crews from Alabama, Kentucky and Ohio are assisting APCo teams in the field.
Crews prioritize restoring circuits that serve essential public safety facilities, such as hospitals, 9-1-1 call centers, water treatment plants and police and fire stations. They then focus on repairs that restore power to the largest number of customers in the shortest amount of time, followed by localized and individual outages.
Restoration Estimates
Location-based outage updates and estimated times of restoration (ETRs) are available in real-time at AppalachianPower.com/OutageMap.
Safety Messages
Stay away from downed power lines and anything they may contact, such as tree limbs or fences. Immediately report safety hazards by calling 911 or APCo at 1-800-956-4237. Additional safety tips are available at AppalachianPower.com/Safety.
For More Information
If a customer experiences a power outage, APCo’s Storm Response Team encourages them to report it at AppalachianPower.com/Outages.
APCo will notify customers with information about the outages affecting their account(s) via text message and/or email with Outage Alerts. Customers can verify their enrollment and contact information at AppalachianPower.com/Alerts.
Next Update: Friday, June 18, 9 a.m.