Pennsylvania Power & Light Co. crews restored power by 11:45 a.m. Sunday (1/19) to customers in Carbon and Monroe counties affected by a transformer problem in the Blakeslee area of the Poconos.

At 2 a.m. Sunday, the problem on a 69,000-volt line caused a series of seven substations to fail. The resulting power outage affected 16,245 customers in eastern Carbon County and Monroe County.

By 8:35 a.m., power was restored to all but about 4,000 customers. PP&L was unable to place those customers back in service because of the heavy demand for power on the line.

At PP&L's request, several area radio stations and a cable television service carried public service announcements asking customers in the area to temporarily curtail power use until the line could be repaired. The appeal worked, and power was restored to the remaining customers by 11:45 a.m.

"We thank our customers for their patience and cooperation, and we realize that it's difficult to go without power during such cold weather," said Martha Herron, PP&L's Hazleton area manager. "Our crews worked as fast as they could under difficult conditions to solve the equipment problem, and we appreciate the assistance of the radio stations and cable company."