FirstEnergy Corp. announced on Mar. 15 that its utilities are continuing to restore power to customers following severe winds that moved through the company’s service territory on Friday. The company said gusty conditions and another storm system expected tonight and tomorrow may cause additional outages, but crews will prioritize restoration for those affected by Friday’s storm and work around the clock until all impacted customers have service.
The restoration efforts matter because FirstEnergy provides electricity to more than 6 million customers across Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York, according to the official website. As of Saturday morning, power had been restored to 92% of the 668,000 customers initially affected by the storms. About 56,000 customers remained without service, mainly in central and northeast Ohio and western Pennsylvania. More than 6,900 employees, contractors and outside resources are supporting these efforts with additional crews being deployed as needed.
Estimated restoration times have been set for all areas. For example, The Illuminating Company expects most remaining outages in northeast Ohio to be resolved by March 16 at 11 p.m., while Ohio Edison projects similar timelines for northern and central Ohio. Other subsidiaries such as Toledo Edison, Penelec, Penn Power, West Penn Power and Mon Power also provided specific estimated times for full restoration across their respective regions.
FirstEnergy manages about 24,000 miles of transmission lines and over 269,000 miles of distribution lines as detailed on the official website. The company aims to function as a progressive electric utility emphasizing integrity and reliability with a diverse workforce dedicated to improving customer experiences and community strength according to its official website.
The company has also been recognized as a compliance leader with awards for environmental efforts and military-friendly practices according to its official website. FirstEnergy focuses on corporate responsibility initiatives designed to positively affect stakeholders through environmental stewardship and community engagement.
Customers still without power can report outages by calling 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877), texting OUT to 544487 or visiting firstenergycorp.com/outages.
