FirstEnergy Hurricane Irene Outage Update August 30, 2011 - 5:00 a.m.

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Aug 30, 2011, 05:16 ET

AKRON, Ohio, Aug. 30, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- As a result of Hurricane Irene, more than 920,000 FirstEnergy (NYSE: FE) customers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland were without power. To date, electrical service has been restored to more than 640,000 customers.

Crews continue working to restore service to the approximately 280,000 customers who remain without power as a result of the storm.

The current FirstEnergy outage totals by utility include:

Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L) – 240,000 customers

Metropolitan Edison (Met-Ed) – 35,000 customers

Pennsylvania Electric Company (Penelec) – 7,000 customers

Many of the areas that remain without power experienced severe flooding as a result of the storm, which has hampered the damage assessment and restoration process. Many of these outages are isolated and will require a significant number of repairs to bring small numbers of customers back in service.

As debris from the storm is being cleared, customers are cautioned never to touch downed lines. Customers should always assume downed wires are carrying electricity and are reminded to keep their children and pets away from downed wires.

To report an outage, JCP&L, Met-Ed and Penelec customers should call 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877).

For updated information on hurricane restoration news, current outages, FirstEnergy's storm restoration process and tips for staying safe after a storm, go to www.firstenergycorp.com.

SOURCE FirstEnergy