Appalachian Power Storm Response Update #31
Friday, Oct. 4, 2024 – 7 p.m.
Situation
Appalachian Power has restored electric service to over 97% of customers who lost power in the wake of Hurricane Helene. The storm caused close to 6 million power outages across the Southeast, including 282,000 in Appalachian Power’s territory. More than 7,360 line and tree personnel from 30 states are working around the clock to rebuild the energy grid and restore power to Southwest Virginia and Southern West Virginia communities. Workers are dealing with the challenges of navigating the mountainous region and difficult terrain to restore service in isolated areas. As of 7 p.m. Friday, 7,725 customers remain without power.
Outages & Damages
- With the assessment nearly complete, crews have found extensive damage to the grid, with almost 200 miles of fallen wire to replace, 1,275 poles to rebuild, and 400 damaged transformers.
- There are 500 unique locations across Southern Virginia and Southern West Virginia that need repairs.
- Workers continue to make significant progress in rebuilding the energy grid and restoring power in areas without challenging access and flooding.
- Crews have restored power to over 97%, or 274,275 customers, since the peak of 282,000 on Friday.
- About 6,275 affected customers are in Virginia, and 1,450 are without service in West Virginia.
Storm Response Efforts
- Appalachian Power planned for outages from this storm by having all employees and business partners on alert and prepared to work.
- A workforce of 7,360 employees and contractors remain dedicated to storm restoration work, including mutual assistance crews from 30 states as far as Nebraska.
- Thousands of workers are rebuilding the power grid in the hardest-hit areas, including Kingsport, Tenn.; Clintwood; Glade Spring; Grundy; Lebanon; Tazewell and Woodlawn, Va.; and Bluefield, WV.
Restoration Estimates
Due to extensive damage in the most heavily impacted areas, Appalachian Power updated its estimated restoration times (ETRs) on Thursday, Oct. 3.
- Friday, Oct. 4, 11 p.m. for the Council and Potterstown communities in Grundy, Va.
- Friday, Oct. 4, 11 p.m. for the Honaker and Trammell communities in Lebanon, Va.
- Friday, Oct. 4, 11 p.m. for the Glade Whitetop; Hungry Mother; Sugar Grove and Taylors Valley, Va., communities.
- Friday, Oct. 4, 11 p.m. for communities in Gate City, Va., including Copper Ridge and Nickelsville.
- Friday, Oct. 4, 11 p.m. for customers off Flat Ridge Road and Rabbit Fork Road in the Independence Rural, Va., area.
- Friday, Oct. 4, 11 p.m. for the Athens, Minnix Mountain, New Hope and Switchback communities of Bluefield, W.Va.
Restoration work may extend into the weekend in isolated instances where extensive repairs are needed. Customers are encouraged to view the company's outage map or sign up for outage alerts for information on their specific outage.
Weather
Weather is favorable for rebuilding the energy grid and restoring power. Downed trees and flooded areas may impact restoration efforts. Crews will continue to work as safely and quickly as possible.
Safety Message
- High winds bring down power lines. 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 wires and anything the lines may touch, and immediately call 911 and Appalachian Power at 1-800-956-4237.
- Customers without power who are on life support systems or need uninterrupted electric service for health reasons should make alternate arrangements.
- Be aware of scammers and remember that Appalachian Power will never request upfront payment or a reconnection fee in return for restoring your service.
- Follow all recommended precautions if using a personal generator. Never use a generator inside a home, garage, crawl space, other enclosed areas, or anywhere else where exhaust fumes can enter enclosed spaces. Never connect a generator to a home's circuits. Plug appliances directly into the generator.
- Flooding occurred in many areas throughout our service territory. Be cautious and remember to turn around; don't drown.
- Find additional safety tips at AppalachianPower.com/Safety.
When to Call an Electrician
- Appalachian Power cannot connect power to a home or business if there is damage to the service entrance, which the customer owns.
- Customers need a qualified electrician to repair this damage before power can be restored. The service entrance includes the metal box housing Appalachian Power's meter, the "weatherhead" pipe on top of the meter box, the service entrance cables running from the weatherhead through the meter box to the inside panel box, and other related facilities. Similar responsibilities apply to "underground" service.
- After repairs are made, contact Appalachian Power to have power restored.
For More Information
Customers can subscribe to Appalachian Power outage alerts to receive specific information about outages affecting their accounts via text message and/or email. To sign up, please visit Appalachian Power alerts.
A snapshot of current outages is available anytime by visiting Appalachian Power's Outage Map.
Next Update: Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, 9 a.m.