Sep 19, 2003
211,000 Customers of PPL Electric Utilities Without Power: More Outages Expected as Damage Assessment Continues
PRNewswire-FirstCall
ALLENTOWN, Pa.
An update on current power outages from Tropical Storm Isabel.
Situation: Outages began to increase across south central
Pennsylvania around 7 p.m. Thursday (9/18). The
first areas to feel the effects of Isabel were
Lancaster and Harrisburg.
Customers Restored: 48,000 since 7 p.m. EDT Thursday (9/18)
Customers Without Power: 211,000 as of 4:30 a.m. EDT.
Affected Areas: Isabel has affected the entire 29-county service
area of PPL Electric Utilities with downed lines
and power outages. The hardest hit area is south
central Pennsylvania in the Harrisburg and
Lancaster areas. There are also a significant
number of customers without power in Schuylkill
County.
75,000 customers are without power in the
Lancaster area; 61,000 customers are without
power in the Harrisburg area; and about
15,000 customers are without power in Schuylkill
County. For the latest local outage figures
across the service area, check our Web site,
www.pplnewsroom.com.
Number of Jobs Pending: About 1,200, with more outage calls expected
around daybreak.
Cause of Outages: High winds, fallen trees and tree limbs from
outside power line rights of way where tree
pruning is done.
Est. Restoration Time: Too early to be determined at this time, but PPL
Electric Utilities expects that it will take
several days to restore service completely.
Damage assessment is in the early stages.
Additional Information: Customers should call PPL Electric Utilities'
toll free number, 1-800-342-5775 (1-800 DIAL
PPL) to report power outages, downed wires and
special needs. Phone lines may be busy,
especially around daybreak as people wake up and
find their home is without power. Customers
should keep trying. The quickest way to report a
power outage is through the company's automated
phone system.
People should stay away from all downed wires --
do not touch or try to move them. Call PPL
Electric Utilities or 911 immediately to report
a downed wire.
PPL Electric Utilities has 1.3 million customers
in 29 counties of eastern and central
Pennsylvania.
PPL Electric Utilities uses a three-step process
to manage major storms: preparation, assessment
and restoration. Preparation began last Friday
(9/12). Assessment of damage has begun and will
not be fully known until Isabel moves through
the area. Damage to power lines, poles and
equipment appears to be significant. We will
continue damage assessment to prioritize repairs
and schedule work crews.
Most of the restoration work done to this point
has been on emergency calls for life-threatening
situations such as downed power lines and motor
vehicle accidents, and restore service to
critical public service facilities including
hospitals, police and fire stations, 911
communications centers, prisons and water and
sewer facilities.
NOTES TO EDITORS: During storm emergencies, reporters can view updated
PPL Electric Utilities storm information by visiting our news Web site at
www.pplnewsroom.com. The StormOutage feature provides system-wide and regional
information.
SOURCE: PPL Corporation
CONTACT: George Lewis, of PPL Corporation, +1-610-774-5997, or fax
+1-610-774-5281
Web site: http://www.pplweb.com/
http://www.pplnewsroom.com/
Quick links.