PP&L, Inc. line crews worked through the night Tuesday (6/16) and into Wednesday (6/17) to restore electricity to thousands of customers after high winds and thunderstorms caused power outages in some areas of central eastern Pennsylvania.

As of 5 a.m. Wednesday (6/17), about 7,000 customers remained without power, primarily in Harrisburg, Newport, Elizabethville, Orwigsburg, Frackville, Sunbury and Bloomsburg. Because of the extent of the damage, PP&L, Inc. expects that it may take until early evening Wednesday (6/17) for all outages to be repaired.

"All available crews are working to restore power as quickly as possible," said Robert M. Geneczko, vice president of Power Delivery for PP&L, Inc. "Crews worked through the night and will continue working until every customer's power is restored. We appreciate the patience of our customers under these circumstances."

Geneczko noted that crews had restored power to about 27,000 customers by 5 a.m. Wednesday (6/17).

Geneczko reminded customers that if they see any downed wires, they should assume they are power lines and assume they are energized. He said customers should stay away from downed wires, alert others to stay away and call the company at its toll-free customer service number, 1-800-DIAL-PPL (1-800-342-5775).

Customers who do not have power should also call PP&L, Inc.'s toll-free customer service number to report their service problems.