Thousands of Personnel Engaged in FirstEnergy's Power Restoration Effort in Northeast Ohio

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Aug 08, 2024, 12:18 ET

Crews continue working 24/7 to restore service to 265,000 customers following historic storm

AKRON, Ohio, Aug. 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) has restored power to more than 215,000 customers of Ohio Edison and The Illuminating Company following a historic weather event Tuesday that included two tornados with winds up to 110 mph in Cuyahoga County, one of which traveled a path 17 miles long and 350 yards wide through the heavily populated area from Brookpark to Bedford.

This was the most impactful storm to hit The Illuminating Company service territory since July 1993, when a powerful line of thunderstorms caused power outages to approximately 300,000 of the company's customers.

Photos and video footage of damage and FirstEnergy crews working across northeast Ohio can be viewed or downloaded here.

More than 3,050 line workers from FirstEnergy, contractor companies and mutual assistance organizations, assisted by more than 1,000 damage assessors, hazard responders, forestry and other support personnel from inside and outside the company, are working around the clock in 16-hour shifts to make repairs as quickly and safely as possible. Hundreds of additional crews are expected to arrive throughout today and begin assisting.

FirstEnergy has begun setting up staging sites across the greater Cleveland area to handle the influx of outside workers and help make the restoration process more efficient. These sites operate like mini-cities in the hardest-hit areas, offering workers a place stock up on materials and supplies as they work to restore power.

There are currently hundreds, even thousands, of damage locations recorded across northeast Ohio, with more broken poles and equipment issues being reported in real-time as field workers continue to assess the outage locations and make repairs.

Current outage updates as of 10 a.m. today include:

The Illuminating Company: Approximately 322,600 Illuminating Company customers lost power from the storm, and 248,300 remain without power. Power will be restored to the majority of customers by 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 14.
Ohio Edison: Approximately 106,900 Ohio Edison customers lost power from the storm, and 9,100 remain without power. While many remaining customers should be back up and running through the day today and tomorrow, those in the hardest-hit areas of Trumbull County could be without service until Saturday.

Established while crews are restoring power and assessing the full extent of damages, the initial "global estimated time of restoration" (ETR) represents an estimate of when service will be restored to the majority of customers following major outage events. Work to restore power continues around the clock, and many customers will have service restored sooner, based on the level of damage in their area.

As additional information about necessary repairs is understood, more detailed ETRs are provided. Customers can view their current individual ETR for their particular outage by logging into their account at firstenergycorp.com, texting STAT to 54487, or viewing the outage map at firstenergycorp.com/outages.

FirstEnergy's Restoration Process:

FirstEnergy follows a formal restoration process after severe weather, focusing on repairs that will address the largest number of customers before moving on to more isolated issues. The restoration effort typically begins with transmission and substation facilities and then prioritizes critical facilities like hospitals, communications and emergency response agencies.

Additionally, hundreds of isolated issues affect individual or small numbers of customers. These are the most time-consuming repairs because they require our crews to go to each individual location to make the repairs. Many of the isolated issues include repairs to "service drops," which are wires attached to each home to deliver electricity from the neighborhood power line. These wires are often damaged by fallen trees and large branches.

For updated information on the company's current outages, storm restoration process and tips for staying safe, visit FirstEnergy's 24/7 Power Center at firstenergycorp.com/outages. To learn more about navigating the recently updated map, please visit bit.ly/FEoutagemapupdates.

Generator Safety Reminder:

To ensure the safety of the home's occupants as well as that of electric company employees who may be working on power lines in the area, the proper generator should be selected and installed by a qualified electrician.

When operating a generator, the power coming into the home should always be disconnected. Otherwise, power from the generator could be sent back onto the power lines, creating a hazardous situation for company workers. Locate the generator outside of your home and far away from windows, doors and vents. Never locate a generator inside your home.

View additional generator safety information.

FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. The company's transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Visit FirstEnergy online at firstenergycorp.com and follow FirstEnergy and its operating companies on X, formerly known as Twitter, @FirstEnergyCorp, @IlluminatingCo, @OhioEdison.