Appalachian Power Storm Response Update #5

Appalachian Power Storm Response Update #5

Friday, Sept. 27, 2024 – 7 p.m.

Situation

Hurricane Helene caused significant damage to Appalachian Power’s energy delivery system and distribution networks, causing 281,000 customers to lose power at the storm’s peak. Nearly 2,500 workers are dedicated to the restoration work following the storm. Outage numbers could increase over the weekend as saturated soils may cause trees to topple onto power line infrastructure.

Restoration Estimates

• Restoration work is expected to go into Sunday, with lesser impacted areas getting their power restored before then. Depending on the storm’s impact, restoration times may extend beyond Sunday.
• Additional crews from the eastern part of the United States are heading to our service territory to assist with restoration efforts.

Outages & Damages

• At 6:30 p.m. Friday, approximately 273,000 Appalachian Power customers were without power throughout our service territory. At the peak Friday, nearly 281,000 customers in Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia were without power.
• Current estimates show more than 3,300 unique locations requiring assessment and repairs.
• About 173,000 of the affected customers are in Virginia. More than 82,000 customers are without service in West Virginia, and about 20,000 are in Tennessee.
• Crews continue to assess damage in areas that are safe to access.
• Additional outages could occur until Appalachian Power’s significantly impacted energy delivery system is stabilized.

Storm Response Efforts

• Currently, nearly 2,500 employees and contractors are dedicated to storm restoration work.
• Mutual assistance crews from Ohio, Indiana and Michigan are either in our service territory or headed this way. Crews from Oklahoma and Texas are expected to arrive tomorrow.
• Appalachian Power planned for power outages from this storm by having all employees and business partners on alert and prepared to work.
• Continued rain and gusty winds will significantly delay restoration efforts to customers.
• At this time, restoration work is expected to go into Sunday, with lesser impacted areas getting their power restored before then. Depending on the storm’s impact, restoration times may extend beyond Sunday.

Weather

Rain and winds from Hurricane Helene are expected to impact restoration efforts and increase outage numbers in some areas. Over the weekend, some higher elevation areas could see wind gusts in the 30-40 mph range. Crews will continue to work as safely and quickly as possible.

Hydro Facilities

Heavy rains have impacted our hydroelectric facilities in Virginia. Appalachian Power proactively initiated the Emergency Action Plan (EAP) for the Byllesby/Buck Hydro Electric Facility on the New River in Carroll County. The plan was activated for a Potential Failure due to lack of visibility of our facility as water flows continue to rise. As part of the EAP, we notified local emergency agencies and personnel.

Safety Messages

• Windstorms cause damage that can 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 lines and anything the lines may touch and call 911 and Appalachian Power at 1-800-956-4237 immediately.
• Do not plug the generator into your circuit box using a portable or RV generator.
• Flooding is expected 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.

Trouble Reaching Us?

We encourage customers to report outages on any of our social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram or X (formerly Twitter).

For Outage 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, Sept. 28, 2024, approximately 9 a.m.