ALLENTOWN, Pa. -- PP&L, Inc. crews moved quickly to restore electric service to customers across eastern and central Pennsylvania after a fast-moving line of damaging thunderstorms swept across the region Monday afternoon(9/7).

The Labor Day storms left about 50,000 PP&L, Inc. customers without power. By 4 p.m., crews already had restored power to about 17,000 customers. Nearly 33,000 remain without power.

The hardest hit areas are around Harrisburg, western Berks County, the Poconos and upper Bucks and Montgomery counties.

"We've called out all available crews, and they will be working around the clock until every customer's service is restored," said Robert S. Gombos, vice president of PP&L, Inc.'s Mobile Work Force.

He credited PP&L, Inc., employees for their quick response on a holiday to meet customers' needs.

Gombos estimated that because of the number of storm-related problems with PP&L, Inc., power lines and equipment, power will not be fully restored until Tuesday morning (9/8) in some of the hardest-hit areas. The company will be moving crews this evening from areas not affected by the storm to help in those hard-hit areas. It also will be calling on contractor crews for assistance.

Any PP&L, Inc., customer without power should call the company toll-free at 1-800-342-5775 (1-800 DIAL PPL) to report the problem.

Customer calls help pinpoint the source of problems so the company can dispatch crews to the right location as quickly as possible, Gombos explained.

He said if people see wires on the ground, they should stay away from them, even if they appear to be "dead." They should report downed wires immediately by calling either PP&L's toll-free number or 911.