FirstEnergy says most power should be restored by Wednesday afternoon - Akron Beacon Journal

FirstEnergy says most power should be restored by Wednesday afternoon

FirstEnergy expects power knocked out by high winds to be restored by Wednesday afternoon

A day after high winds whipped through Northeast Ohio, knocking out power to tens of thousands of homes, FirstEnergy said it expected to restore service to the majority of customers by 4 p.m. Wednesday.

"Crews are working hard to assess damage and restore power to customers after heavy rain and high winds with gusts exceeding 60 mph swept through our service area yesterday," the company said in a news release.

More than 25,000 FirstEnergy customers in Summit County lost power Saturday. At least 17,000 homes had service restored by noon Sunday, according to the utility's outage figures. As of 7:30 p.m. Sunday, about 2,760 homes were still without power.

In 5-county region: Power restored after high winds leave tens of thousands in Summit, elsewhere in the dark

Saturday's high winds snapped trees and utility poles and brought down power lines.

"Though downed trees, localized flooding and road closures can slow progress, crews will continue to work around the clock to get customers back up and running," FirstEnergy said in the statement.

Portage, Stark and Medina counties were also hit hard. By 7:30 p.m. Sunday, about 3,750 customers in Portage and just over 200 in Medina County remained in the dark. Stark County homes are served by two utilities, FirstEnergy, which showed about 3,680 still without power, and Ohio AEP, which had about 6,500.

In Stark County: High winds cause power outages throughout Stark County

Tips from FirstEnergy on what to do during a power outage

FirstEnergy advises customers to report a power outage even if a neighbor has already reported it. Here's how:

• Report an outage online at https://firstenergycorp.com/outages_help/Report_Power_Outages.html. Customers can view an outage map or log on to their online accounts to view the status of a reported outage.

• Text OUT to 544487 (LIGHTS). Text STAT to 544487 to receive an update for a reported outage. Customers not enrolled in text messaging can text REG to 544487 to get started.

• Call 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877). Customers with a communication disability can report an outage using the appropriate TTY/TDD relay service, an online form or text messaging.

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