Thousands remain without power in Western Pa.
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Thousands of people across Western Pennsylvania remained without power Monday afternoon, a day after high winds caused power outages in multiple counties.
Late Monday afternoon, Duquesne Light was reporting 6,000 customers without power, according to company spokesman Nick Ruffolo. He said the company sought help from 50 contractors to assist with efforts to restore power.
The outage number was down from a high of more than 55,000 on Sunday.
“Damage assessment is still in progress, but winds in excess of 50 miles per hour have led to at least 273 instances of a trees or limbs on a wire, 106 broken utility poles and 93 wires down,” the statement read. “As we continue to monitor the weather conditions, crews are collectively working around the clock to isolate and restore as many customers as possible, focusing first on critical and emergent needs.”
More than 50,000 people were without service in Allegheny County while nearly 5,170 customers in Beaver County were without service as of 10 p.m. Sunday, according to the company’s power outage map.
Company officials said wind gusts of more than 50 mph knocked down trees and snapped utility poles across the region.
“As we continue to monitor the weather conditions, crews are working through the night to isolate and restore as many customers as possible, focusing first on critical and emergent needs,” Ruffolo said via email.
People are encouraged to avoid downed power lines and give ample space to line workers.
They should also avoid walking under or around trees that have a visible trunk or damaged limbs.
Customers should call 911 for any emergency medical issues that could be impacted by a power outage.
Around 10 p.m. Sunday, West Penn Power Co. was reporting about 22,400 customers without service. By Monday afternoon, the number was down to fewer than 6,000 customers.
It was unclear when service to all customers of the companies would be restored.