ComEd Quickly Mobilizes to Restore Power to More than 400,000 Customers Affected by Major Storm

CHICAGO, June 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- In the wake of powerful storms that hit northern Illinois on June 21, ComEd has mobilized nearly 700 crews to repair downed power lines and damaged equipment that have left more than 400,000 customers without service. ComEd is expecting to restore 90 percent of customers – roughly 350,000 – by midnight tomorrow night. Since the start of the storm, approx. 200,000 ComEd customers have been restored.

ComEd is expecting a multi-day restoration effort due to the severity and widespread nature of the damage. Most damaging were the hurricane-force winds, heavy rain and lightning. Sustained winds were clocked with gusts in excess of 80 miles per hour. To assist with the restoration effort ComEd has requested assistance from neighboring utilities in Michigan, Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin and Missouri and these crews are expected by 1 p.m. today. Additional crews from ComEd's sister utility in Pennsylvania, PECO, will arrive tomorrow morning. Customers in communities throughout northern Illinois have been affected, but the largest number of outages has occurred in the northern and western suburbs. Both regions combined have nearly 220,000 customers without service at this time.

ComEd prioritizes outage restoration to ensure public safety first such as police and fire, then hospitals and other critical customers. Next, ComEd restores feeders, which allows us to return power to large numbers of customers at one time, followed by smaller service restorations and individual outages. 

Public safety is paramount.

• Anyone encountering a downed power line is urged to immediately call ComEd at 1-800-EDISON1 (1-800-334-7661) and report the location. Spanish-speaking customers should call 1-800-95-LUCES (1-800-955-8237).
• Never approach a downed power line. Always presume a power line is energized and extremely dangerous.
• Check on elderly and other sensitive family members and neighbors to ensure their safety and make alternate arrangements, as it may be some time before their power is restored.

ComEd also offers the following suggestions for customers experiencing a prolonged outage:

• Turn off all appliances including your furnace, water heater, and water pump.
• Leave a lamp on so you can know when power has been restored.
• Keep freezer and refrigerator doors closed and open them only when necessary. Food will stay frozen for 36 to 48 hours in a fully loaded freezer, if the door remains closed. A half-full freezer will generally keep food frozen for 24 hours.
• Customers who are on medical support equipment are strongly encouraged to evacuate to a place where they can be comfortable and safe.

Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC), one of the nation's largest electric utilities with approximately 5.4 million customers. ComEd provides service to approximately 3.8 million customers across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state's population. 

Customer Contact: 888-806-2273

SOURCE ComEd

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