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PPL Electric Utilities is sending extra equipment, materials and hundreds of additional line workers to northeastern Pennsylvania to help restore power knocked out by an early snowstorm.

“This storm has packed a potent combination of wet snow and wind that spells trouble for trees that still have leaves,” said Robert M. Geneczko, vice president of customer services for PPL Electric Utilities. “We’re working to assess the full extent of the power line damage caused by downed trees and limbs.”

Geneczko said Monroe, Lackawanna, Wayne, Pike and Luzerne counties were the hardest hit. As of noon Tuesday (10/28), about 22,000 customers remained without power across PPL’s 29-county service territory.

The bulk of those outages were in the Northeast. PPL crews had restored power to about 12,000 customers since the start of the storm, but added that more outages are possible as snow continues to fall and as high winds trail the storm.

About 100 additional line crews plus support personnel are being sent from the central and southern portions of PPL’s service territory. Geneczko said PPL will develop an estimate of the expected restoration time once the storm has passed, but will continue to work on existing outages to restore service as soon as possible. 

More than 400 cases of damaged power lines and equipment have been reported across PPL Electric Utilities’ delivery system.

Geneczko said residents with special needs should contact PPL Electric Utilities at 1-800-DIAL-PPL. In addition, he said, residents who observe downed power lines should report damage using the same toll-free number. Customers are urged to stay clear of fallen wires and assume that any downed wire is energized.

PPL Electric Utilities Corporation, a subsidiary of PPL Corporation that provides electricity delivery services to about 1.4 million customers in Pennsylvania, has consistently ranked among the best companies for customer service in the United States. More information is available at www.pplelectric.com. 

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Note to editors: Visit PPL Electric Utilities’ Web site at www.pplelectric.com for a link to outage information, or visit PPL’s media Web site at www.pplnewsroom.com.