Fifty-six linemen and support personnel from PP&L, Inc., arrived safely in Virginia Friday (12/25) and are helping to restore power after an ice storm that began Wednesday evening (12/23).

As of 3 p.m. Saturday (12/26), 160,000 Virginia Power Co. customers were still without electricity. Virginia Power has told PP&L, Inc., that it currently estimates service will be restored to all customers by Wednesday night (12/30). Although PP&L, Inc., crews will be in Virginia a little longer than originally planed, they are expected to be home by New Year's Eve.

At the height of the storm damage, about 284,000 customers, primarily in the Richmond, Va. area and eastern Virginia, were without electricity. Virginia Power has said it is especially grateful to PP&L Inc., for responding so promptly to its request for additional crews during the holiday season. PP&L, Inc., was the first outside utility to arrive. Help from additional utilities was expected Saturday night.

"Virginia Power has thanked us for the assistnce we were able to provide," said Robert M. Geneczko, PP&L, Inc.'s vice president-Power Delivery. "We're pleased that so many of our employees were willing to give up their holiday to help the customers of Virginia Power."

Electric utilities help one another when emergencies such as this occur, Geneczko noted. This past spring, Virginia Power provided line crews to assist PP&L, Inc., in recovering from a series of thunderstorms and tornadoes that caused damage in eastern and central Pennsylvania.

The PP&L, Inc. crews in Virginia are working on the east side of Richmond and in the Farmville area, about 80 miles east of Richmond. They've reported that damaged trees are still causing new damage to power lines.

In addition to 23 two-man crews, PP&L, Inc., sent four foremen, four mechanics, a safety specialist and a coordinator along with 20 bucket trucks and three digger-derrick vehicles. The people and equipment came from across PP&L, Inc.'s service area, including the Lehigh Valley, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Hazleton, Scranton and Wilkes-Barre.

"We're glad to provide this support to Virginia Power," Geneczko added. "However, we've ensured that enough crews remain available here to respond to the needs of our own customers."