Strong winds overnight Tuesday (3/19) knocked out power for more than 38,000 Pennsylvania Power & Light Co. customers across the utility's 29-county service area.

As of 6 a.m. Wednesday, 4,200 customers were without electricity because of wind-related damage to power lines and electrical equipment. Hardest hit were PP&L's Lehigh Region, where 900 customers remain without power in the Allentown and Bethlehem area, and the Northeast Region, which includes Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, with about 3,000 customers out of service.

"PP&L line crews are responding as quickly as possible to restore power," said Robert M. Geneeczko, PP&L's vice president for Electrical Systems. "Since the storm entered our area around 5 p.m. Tuesday, service has been restored to about 35,000 customers throughout PP&L's service area.

"We expect to have all of the storm damages repaired by late tonight (3/20). PP&L line crews located in areas that did not have severe storm damage are being sent to assist in the hard-hit areas."

High winds can bring down power lines, he noted. "If you see a downed power line or damaged pole, please stay away, even if it looks like the line is dead. Call PP&L immediately, and we will send someone out as quickly as possible to take care of the problem."

PP&L has a toll-free number, available 24 hours a day, that can be used to report power outages and other problems. The number is 1- 800-342-5775 (1-800-DIAL PPL).

The utility serves 1.2 million customers in 29 counties of eastern and central Pennsylvania.