Power companies expect restoration time to be 5-7 days in wake of storms

Duquesne Light Co.’s 168,000 customers in the region still without power Wednesday because of the severe storm Tuesday may have to wait for five to seven days before they have electricity restored, a company official said.

The storm that caused an “unprecedented event in the history of Duquesne Light,” left 250,000 customers without power, which is about 40% of their customer base, said John Hilderbrand II, the utility’s vice president of operations. With trees downing power lines, poles breaking and electrical facilities damaged, there were about 22,000 hazards, Hilderbrand said.

That estimated time frame for restoring power could be pushed back if another round of severe weather hits the region Thursday, Hilderbrand said. The utility’s transmission and distribution systems have been damaged, he said. In major storms, some customers may remain without power longer because the electrical lines are temporarily inaccessible to work crews because of fallen trees that must be removed before electricity can be restored.

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission said that Allegheny County was one of the hardest hit areas in the state in terms of power outages that were stukk affecting about 425,000 customers Wednesday afternoon.

Duquesne Light was deploying contractors to supplement its own crews and was anticipating additional resources arriving from Ohio and eastern Pennsylvania, Hilderbrand said.

Two people in Allegheny County have died as a result of the storm : an electrocution in Pittsburgh and another caused by a fallen tree in Ross, said county Executive Sara Innamorato. Additional details were not available.

“You have to assume that wires down are energized and you cannot approach them in any way. Allow the experts to make those scenes safe,” Hilderbrand said.

“Do not try to move a wire or clear a roadway by yourself,” Innamorato said, stressing the importance of safety.

An Edgewood firefighter suffered a chainsaw injury in cleaning up storm damage, said Matt Brown, chief of Allegheny County Emergency Services. Details were not available.

Call volume spikes

Allegheny County’s 911 emergency call center was five times busier Tuesday afternoon than normal, with 5,600 calls to 911 between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. Tuesday. There were 9,300 calls for the entire day, which is more than double the normal volume, Brown said.

“Almost every municipality received some form of damage from the storm,” he said.

The hardest hit areas were the city of Pittsburgh, Moon, Mt. Lebanon, Penn Hills, Forest Hills, Ross, Hampton and Shaler.

Three municipalities – Forest Hills, Wilkins Township and Churchill – had declared disasters. Harrison, Robinson and Swissvale were expected to follow.

Innamorato said she had spoken with Gov. Josh Shapiro, who pledged the state’s support. She said she would rely on the county’s emergency service professional in deciding if and when to declare a county level disaster.

The Army Corps of Engineers had to use manual operations to keep the Emsworth locks and dam operating on the Ohio River, Brown said.

FirstEnergy Corp. said its West Penn Power Co. in Greensburg had about 92,000 customers without power in Allegheny, Armstrong, Butler, Indiana, Washington and Westmoreland counties as of 5 p.m. Wednesday.

The company estimated it would get power restored to 24,000 customers in Allegheny County by about 11:00 p.m. Thursday. It anticipates restoring power to about 14,500 customers in Armstrong County by about 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Only about 3,500 customers were without power in Butler County, which West Penn Power did not offer an estimated time for restoring power. There was no estimate for restoring power to about 21,400 customers in Westmoreland County or 13,000 customers in Indiana County, as of 5 p.m. Wednesday.

Focus on safety hazards

In its efforts to restore power, Duquesne Light said it will focus on addressing public safety hazards first, such as wires down across major highways, burning wires or equipment or building fires. While downed power lines are being handled, company personnel continue to assess the total damage to the electrical system’s infrastructure and begin restoring service.

Restoring power to essential facilities that provide emergency services is a high priority. This includes hospitals, police, fire and emergency facilities, water and sewage plants, nursing homes and assisted living facilities, the company said.

It then will focus on rebuilding the major circuits, which will restore power to the greatest number of customers as quickly as possible.

Restoring power to small neighborhoods and groups of customers served by a single transformer will follow. Returning power to individual homes and businesses will be done as crews restore “service drops” that bring electricity from the nearest pole to a single building.

Generators used by customers for emergency power should not have the ability to send any power back into Duquesne Light’s system, without fulfilling the company’s special requirements and completing the utility’s required interconnection agreement.

Storm update (1/4):
Crews are starting to make progress on restoring customers following yesterday’s extreme weather. More than 250,000 lost power across our service territory at the peak of the storm, making this one of the most unprecedented storms we've ever experienced.

— Duquesne Light Co. (@DuquesneLight) April 30, 2025

Storm update (2/4):
We appreciate everyone’s patience as we continue assessing the widespread damage and determining restoration times. Given the severity of the destruction, some customers may be out of service for approximately 5-7 days, but many will be restored sooner.

— Duquesne Light Co. (@DuquesneLight) April 30, 2025

Storm update (3/4):
There are still many hazards around the area, including downed wires, poles and trees, so we strongly encourage the public to exercise caution and NEVER approach a downed power line.

— Duquesne Light Co. (@DuquesneLight) April 30, 2025

Storm update (4/4):
We understand how difficult and frustrating it is to be without power, especially for an extended period of time. This is an “all hands on deck” effort for the company, and we will continue to work around the clock until everyone is restored.

— Duquesne Light Co. (@DuquesneLight) April 30, 2025