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See the latest update from AEP Below. This is the final update regarding this storm
Appalachian Power Storm Response Update
Monday, December 26, 2022 – 11:45 a.m.
Situation
More than 1,100 workers remain committed to restoring electric service for nearly 50,000 Appalachian Power customers who lost power December 23 from damaging winds and bitterly cold temperatures.
Power has been restored to 90 percent of customers affected by the severe weather, and crews are making great progress to complete service restoration today.
Remaining outages are mostly in areas of Virginia in and around Roanoke and Lynchburg.
Outages
During extreme cold temperatures workers have had to stay in areas after repairs were complete, and bring customers back in small groups to avoid overloading electric lines.
This extra step will not be needed as much with today’s more moderate temperatures, which will help restoration progress faster.
Areas with the most remaining outages include: Bedford County, 408; Botetourt County, 405; Campbell County, 470; Franklin County, 1,639; Henry County, 145; Lynchburg, 1,234; Pulaski County, 158; Roanoke County, 1,018; and Roanoke, 580.
Restoration Estimates
Most customers still without service from the storm should have service restored by late tonight.
In isolated cases or areas where extensive repairs are needed, restoration may extend into tomorrow.
We are working to update restoration estimates for each specific outage as information becomes available.
Note of Thanks
Through this time of outages in extreme cold and through the Christmas holiday, we wish to express our appreciation to our customers for their patience and understanding; to state and local officials for their assistance; and to our employees, contractors and those who came from many states away to help restore power in this difficult time.
Safety Message
- 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.
- If you plan to use an alternate heat source, ensure it is in good working order and follow all safety precautions. 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.
- Additional safety tips are posted at https://www.appalachianpower.com/outages/faq/OutageSafetyTips.aspx.
For More Information
Customers can get specific information about the outages affecting their accounts via text message and/or email by subscribing to Appalachian Power outage alerts. To sign up, please visit www.appalachianpower.com/alerts.
A snapshot view of current outages is available anytime at www.appalachianpower.com. Go to the Outages and Problems section of the homepage and click “View Outage Map.” We are also including known warming shelter locations on our outage map.
Next Update: This is the final update for this storm.
Appalachian Power Storm Response Update
Sunday, December 25, 2022 – 2:00 p.m.
Situation
Power has been restored to roughly 75 percent of Appalachian Power customers impacted by Friday’s damaging winds and bitterly cold temperatures. Most West Virginia customers are back in service, and the company remains focused on securing resources for Virginia.
An additional 150 workers arrived in Virginia today from other AEP operating companies. They join the more than 1,250 workers committed to Appalachian Power’s storm restoration effort. An additional 120 workers from other parts of the company’s service area are expected to arrive in Virginia tomorrow.
Thank you to the employees, friends and family, as well as members of the community, for providing warm meals for the restoration workers over the holiday.
Outages
- Nearly 50,000 Appalachian Power customers were impacted by the storm.
- Extreme cold temperatures continue to create line overload problems when trying to restore large numbers of customers. This has impacted restoration times. After repairs are complete, workers must 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.
Restoration Estimates
Most customers should have service restored as follows:
Tonight
- 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
Safety Message
- 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.
- If you plan to use an alternate heat source, ensure it is in good working order and follow all safety precautions. 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.
- Additional safety tips are posted at https://www.appalachianpower.com/outages/faq/OutageSafetyTips.aspx.
For More Information
Customers can get specific information about the outages affecting their accounts via text message and/or email by subscribing to Appalachian Power outage alerts. To sign up, please visit www.appalachianpower.com/alerts.
A snapshot view of current outages is available anytime at www.appalachianpower.com. Go to the Outages and Problems section of the homepage and click “View Outage Map.” We are also including known warming shelter locations on our outage map.
