Situation
Appalachian Power Company (APCo) crews are dedicated to restoration efforts across West Virginia and Virginia after back-to-back rounds of severe weather left widespread tree damage, downed lines and power outages across the company’s service territory.
Workers have responded to successive rounds of severe weather that caused new outages while restoration work was already underway. System outages peaked at approximately 28,000 customers Monday evening before crews significantly reduced that number overnight. A second round of severe weather Tuesday afternoon caused additional damage and pushed outages back to 25,000 customers. Since then, outages have steadily declined as crews complete damage assessments and repairs across the region.
Since crews began their response, more than 64,000 customers have had power restored, representing approximately 85% of those affected despite the repeated storm impacts.
Outages
Crews continued making progress throughout Wednesday, reducing outages across both West Virginia and Virginia. The most heavily impacted areas remain portions of the Charleston, Hamlin and Wayne regions in West Virginia, and across Clintwood, Lynchburg and Roanoke in Virginia.
Outages continue to decline as APCo completes storm damage assessments, makes repairs and moves crews to areas where they are needed most.
Storm Response Efforts
Hundreds of line and forestry personnel are working around the clock to restore service as safely and quickly as possible. As repairs are completed and power is restored in one area, crews are being reassigned to locations where customers remain without service.
Consistent with standard storm restoration protocol, crews first focus on critical infrastructure that communities rely on, including hospitals, 911 centers and water treatment facilities. They then move to repairs that can restore service to the largest number of customers in the shortest amount of time before addressing smaller outage pockets and individual homes and businesses that may require more localized repairs.
Damage Assessment and Repairs
Crews are focused on restoring service to customers across the service territory following repeated rounds of severe weather. Crews are making repairs to storm-damaged equipment, clearing fallen trees and moving resources to the areas where outages remain.
To date, restoration work includes replacing 50 broken poles and repairing 104 spans of downed or damaged line caused by high winds, fallen trees and heavy rainfall.
As power is restored in one area, crews are being reassigned to locations where customers remain without service.
Weather Conditions
Appalachian Power’s Storm Response Team continues monitoring weather conditions and remains prepared to respond to any additional outages caused by scattered storms that may develop across the region late Wednesday.
Safety
Customers should treat all downed lines as live power lines and stay away from them. Never touch downed power lines or sparking equipment. Keep children and pets away from fallen lines and anything the lines may touch.
When using a generator, always follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Never plug a generator into a wall outlet. Run it outdoors, away from windows and doors, and ensure working carbon monoxide detectors are installed.
Additional safety tips are available at AppalachianPower.com/Safety.
Estimated Times of Restoration (ETRs)
Appalachian Power crews will continue working throughout the day to restore service to customers impacted by the storms. The Storm Response Team expects 90% of affected customers to have power restored by 11:59 p.m. today, Wednesday, Aug. 12.
For More Information
Customers can get specific information about the outages affecting their accounts via text message and/or email by subscribing to Appalachian Power's Outage Alerts. To sign up, visit AppalachianPower.com/Alerts.
A snapshot view of current outages is available anytime by visiting Appalachian Power's Outage Map.
Next Update: Wednesday, Aug. 12, 9 p.m.