PP&L, Inc. is continuing efforts to restore electric service following a series of severe storms Sunday night (5/31), early Monday morning (6/1) and Tuesday night (6/2).

As of 3 p.m. Wednesday (6/3), about 6,500 PP&L, Inc., customers were without power, primarily in the Promised Land-Pecks Pond area of the Poconos and in the Marion Heights area in Schuylkill County. Tornados Sunday at Promised Land and Tuesday at Marion Heights knocked down trees, broke poles and snapped wires.

"Since Sunday night, power has been restored to more than 147,300 customers," said Robert M. Geneczko, PP&L, Inc's vice president-Power Delivery.

"Assisted by Virginia Power, Public Service Electric & Gas Co. and Citizens Electric Co. personnel, along with line and tree contractors, PP&L, Inc., crews will continue to work around-the-clock until service is restored," Geneczko said.

Also hit by a tornado Sunday night was the Quarryville area in Lancaster County. Service was expected to be restored to all customers in the Quarryville and Marion Heights areas by midnight Wednesday (6/3).

"We thank our customers for their patience and understanding," Geneczko said. "Our area experienced very strong winds and damaging lightning strikes from these back-to-back storms. The damage to our system was widespread. In some areas, poles and power lines had to be totally replaced."

PP&L, Inc., provided dry ice for customers in the hard-hit Pocono and Quarryville areas where electric service to run refrigerators and freezers will be out for several days.

"Weather forecasts for the next few days are better," Geneczko said, "and we expect to have service fully restored by Friday morning (6/5)."

PP&L, Inc. , a subsidiary of PP&L Resources, Inc., provides electricity delivery service to 1.2 million customers in eastern and central Pennsylvania, sells retail electricity throughout the state of Pennsylvania and markets wholesale electricity in 23 states and Canada.