PPL Electric Utilities crews are restoring electric service after heavy, wet snow from an early spring storm Wednesday (3/23) brought down power lines in the Williamsport, Bloomsburg and Lock Haven areas.
As of 11 a.m. Thursday (3/24), about 5,400 customers were without power in those areas. Since the outages began about 9 p.m. Wednesday, PPL Electric Utilities has restored service to more than 13,000 customers in these areas and a total of 27,500 over the entire area the company serves.
"The weight of the snow caused tree limbs to fall on power lines," said David G. Cole, general manager-Asset Management with PPL Electric Utilities. "Snow on the roads also has made travel difficult to the areas where lines are down."
All of PPL Electric Utilities' crews are responding to the power outages, Cole said. The company also has moved more than 120 linemen as well as additional support employees from the Harrisburg, Lancaster and Lehigh Valley areas to assist with the restoration work.
In addition, the company has requested help from contractors and neighboring utilities.
"We will be working around the clock until every customer is back in service," Cole said. "However, reports of damage are still coming in, and we estimate that it may be late Friday (3/25) before we are able to restore electric service for everyone."
In areas that may be without electric service for more than 24 hours, PPL employees will be calling customers to update them on expected restoration times and make them aware of special free services the company is providing, such as drinking water and ice to help preserve food.
With a number of wires on the ground because of the storm, PPL Electric Utilities reminds everyone to stay far away from wires, even when they appear to be "dead." To report a downed wire, call toll-free 1-800-342-5775.
PPL Electric Utilities Corporation is a subsidiary of PPL Corporation. Headquartered in Allentown, Pa., PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL) controls more than 12,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the United States, sells energy in key U.S. markets and delivers electricity to nearly 5 million customers in Pennsylvania, the United Kingdom and Latin America. More information is available at www.pplelectric.com.