Working around the clock through the weekend, crews and support personnel from PPL Electric Utilities have restored power to more than 58,000 customers since gusty winds began roaring across eastern and central Pennsylvania on Saturday evening. As of 3 p.m. Sunday (1/15), about 20,000 customers are without power.

"Until the winds let up, we expect to continue receiving reports of new power outages from our customers. Our crews have responded to hundreds of damage calls, mostly due to tree branches falling onto wires," said Thomas C. Stathos, director of Resource Management for PPL Electric Utilities.

"Some of our employees have worked shifts of more than 16 hours since last night restoring service," he added. "They'll keep responding to calls until every customer has electricity back on." 

Most of the damage has occurred in the eastern portion of the company's service area, including the Poconos and the Lehigh Valley. Nearly all of the 20,000 customers who are currently without electricity live in those areas.

PPL Electric Utilities has moved crews from the Harrisburg and Lancaster areas – where damage was not as severe – to help restore power in the hardest hit areas.

"We have contacted other utilities in the region about assistance, but we have had to rely on our own crews, with some help from contractors, because other utilities are dealing with similar wind damage in the areas they serve. In fact, many of those companies have asked us if we could help them deal with power outages," Stathos noted.

PPL Electric Utilities has contacted emergency management agencies in the hardest hit counties to work cooperatively with the counties as they assist residents with special needs who have been affected by power outages.

The company also is calling customers expected to be without electricity for more than 24 hours to let them know about the availability of drinking water and ice, and to keep them apprised of the progress line crews are making.

To report power outages or downed power lines, customers may call PPL Electric Utilities toll free at 1-800-342-5775.

For their personal safety, customers should stay away from downed wires, even if the wires appear to be "dead." They should not try to move or drive over wires.

PPL Electric Utilities provides electric delivery service to 1.3 million homes and businesses in 29 counties of eastern and central Pennsylvania.