Strong winds with gusts surpassing 55 miles-per-hour are moving across AEP Ohio’s service territory, causing downed power lines and damaged poles.
As of 2 p.m., approximately 38,000 customers are currently without power. This number has the potential to climb as high winds are expected to continue throughout the day and into the evening hours.
A full contingent of crews is assessing damage and restoring power as weather conditions allow. When sustained winds are above 30 mph, lineworkers are prohibited from using bucket trucks due to safety concerns until the winds subside.
Power outages and downed lines can be reported on the AEP Ohio mobile app and AEPOhio.com.
SAFETY INFO AND OUTAGE TIPS
Please be aware of potential hazards:
- Downed power lines. Stay away from any downed wires and report them to AEP Ohio on our mobile app, AEPOhio.com, or call 911 or AEP Ohio at 800-672-2231.
- Limbs, leaves and objects moved by the wind could hide downed wires. Investigate your surroundings before trying to clean up any debris.
- Watch for utility workers and first responders at the side of the road and slow down near any work areas.
- Trees damaged by wind could fall or drop limbs; AEP Ohio encourages everyone to look up and stay out of the line of fire.
- Traffic lights may not be functioning. Treat all such intersections as four way stops.
- Minimize or eliminate opening your refrigerator or your freezer. (According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, if the doors stay closed, food will stay safe for up to four hours in a refrigerator, 48 hours in a full freezer and 24 hours in a half-full freezer.)
- Make sure your stove and oven are turned off.
OUTAGE NUMBERS
As of 2 p.m., the approximate number of outages in AEP Ohio are as follows:
- Athens: 1,302
- Belmont: 6,017
- Bucyrus: 219
- Carrolton: 820
- Chillicothe: 285
- Columbus: 14,745
- Coshocton: 612
- Crooksville: 911
- Lancaster: 1,369
- Lima: 2,348
- Marietta: 1,146
- Mt Vernon:779
- Newark: 5,124
- Pomeroy: 210
- Portsmouth: 390
- SouthPoint: 1,370
- Steubenville: 309
- Van Wert: 679
- Wellston: 605
- Zanesville: 312
ESTIMATED RESTORATION TIMES (ETRs)
Estimated restoration times will be established once the weather moves through and crews fully assess the damages.
STAY INFORMED
Customers are encouraged to use the AEP Ohio app to monitor the status of outages.
See the location and status of outages using our outage map at AEPOhio.com/OutageMap
For the latest updates follow AEP Ohio on Facebook and find us on Twitter @AEPOhio
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About AEP Ohio
AEP Ohio is based in Gahanna, Ohio, and is a unit of American Electric Power. AEP Ohio provides electricity to nearly 1.5 million customers. News and information about AEP Ohio can be found at AEPOhio.com.
American Electric Power, based in Columbus, Ohio, is focused on building a smarter energy infrastructure and delivering new technologies and custom energy solutions to our customers. AEP’s more than 18,000 employees operate and maintain the nation’s largest electricity transmission system and more than 219,000 miles of distribution lines to efficiently deliver safe, reliable power to nearly 5.4 million regulated customers in 11 states. AEP also is one of the nation’s largest electricity producers with approximately 32,000 megawatts of diverse generating capacity, including about 5,200 megawatts of renewable generation. AEP’s family of companies includes utilities AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana and east Texas). AEP also owns AEP Energy, AEP Energy Partners, AEP OnSite Partners, and AEP Renewables, which provide innovative competitive energy solutions nationwide.