STORM UPDATE: 3/20/96, 11 a.m. Pennsylvania Power & Light Co. crews are battling strong winds and, in some areas wet snow, to restore power to about 4,000 customers who were without electricity as of 11 a.m. Wednesday (3/20).
High winds accompanying a storm that ushered in spring along the East Coast brought down trees and power lines. Most of the damage was in the northern and eastern parts of PP&L's service area, including the Lehigh Valley and the Scranton, Wilkes-Barre and Hazleton areas.
Since Tuesday evening, PP&L has restored power to more than 42,000 customers.
"Our crews have worked around the clock to get power back on as quickly as possible," said Robert M. Geneczko, PP&L's vice president for Electrical Systems. "We will continue to attack the problem areas until we restore service to all customers affected by the storm."
PP&L has moved line crews from the Lancaster and Harrisburg areas, which had little storm damage, to the hardest hit areas. PP&L hopes to have service restored by late tonight to all customers affected by the storm.
Geneczko said PP&L continues to watch the weather forecast closely as a second storm approaches from the west.
"We don't expect the strong winds with this second storm, but we may see an accumulation of heavy, wet snow in northern and western parts of our service area," he said. "That type of snow causes problems because it weighs down trees and power lines. We believe, however, that we have crews in the right places to handle any problems."
Tuesday night's winds brought down power lines in several places around PP&L's service area. Geneczko cautioned people to stay away from downed lines and damaged poles, even if it looks like the line is dead.
"If you see a line down, the best thing to do is call PP&L immediately. We will send someone out as quickly as possible to take care of the problem," Geneczko said.
PP&L has a toll-free number, available 24 hours a day, for customers to report power outages, downed lines and other problems. The number is 1-800-342-5775 (1-800-DIAL PPL).
PP&L serves 1.2 million customers in 29 counties of eastern and central Pennsylvania.