ComEd Restores More Than 99 Percent of Customers Affected by Sunday's Storm

CHICAGO, Nov. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --  Following fast moving storms, including an EF4 tornado, that ripped through Illinois on Sunday and interrupted electrical service to more than 200,000 customers, ComEd has restored power to more than 99 percent of customers affected. ComEd expects all but the most significantly affected areas to be restored today.  Restoration efforts in the hardest hit areas may extend into Wednesday.

ComEd is now entering the most difficult, labor-intensive part of the storm restoration in the hardest-hit areas. Nearly 600 ComEd and contractor crews, including teams from Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, are working safely and diligently to restore service to customers. In ComEd's south region, tornados that touched down in the area significantly damaged power lines and poles and toppled transmission towers.  

"We are working around the clock to restore power safely and quickly," said Terence R. Donnelly, executive vice president and chief operating officer for ComEd. "We have had to completely rebuild our infrastructure on some of the hardest hit areas. We want to thank customers for their patience while we repaired the significant damage caused by this storm."

ComEd urges customers to contact the utility immediately if they are experiencing a power outage. Customers can text OUT to 26633 (COMED) to report their outage and receive restoration information.

ComEd also offers a mobile app for iPhone and Android® smart phones that gives customers the ability to report power outages and manage their accounts. In addition, customers can report outages through the website at ComEd.com or on ComEd's Facebook page at Facebook.com/ComEd or by calling 1-800 EDISON1 (1-800-334-7661). Spanish-speaking customers should call 1-800-95-LUCES (1-800-955-8237).

For outage updates, customers can access ComEd's mobile-enabled, interactive outage map now available at ComEd.com/map. The color-coded map allows customers to easily find information on the location and size of outages, get estimated power restoration times and crew locations. Information is updated every 30 minutes. Customers also can follow the company on Twitter @ComEd or on Facebook at Facebook.com/ComEd to stay up-to-date on the latest ComEd storm restoration information.

Public safety is paramount during storms and ComEd encourages the public to remember to take the following precautions:

• If you encounter a downed power line, immediately call ComEd at 1-800-EDISON1 (1-800-334-7661) or access our website at ComEd.com and report the location. Spanish-speaking customers should call 1-800-95-LUCES (1-800-955-8237). Never approach a downed power line. Always assume 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 remains focused on enhancing its storm response efforts. Since 2011 when the worst storms in ComEd history struck northern Illinois, the company formed a storm improvement taskforce and implemented approximately 60 enhancements that helped provide a significant improvement in storm restoration times in major storms last summer. For example, ComEd added: more first responders; a state-of-the-art mobile command center to deploy to hardest-hit areas; and customer service enhancements such as the interactive online outage map, mobile application for smart phones, mobile-enabled website, and two-way text messaging.

Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC), the nation's leading competitive energy provider, with approximately 6.6 million customers. ComEd provides service to approximately 3.8 million customers across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state's population.

SOURCE ComEd

WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM?

440k+
Newsrooms &
Influencers

9k+
Digital Media
Outlets

270k+
Journalists
Opted In

GET STARTED