Officials: Power expected to be fully restored in Centre County by Sunday night

THURSDAY UPDATE |

CENTRE COUNTY, Pa. (WJAC) — As emergency crews are continuing to work to restore power in Centre County, officials say that as of 1 p.m. on Thursday, First Energy has restored electricity to most municipalities, although many homes and businesses are still without power.

According to the latest update, county officials say that First Energy plans to have all power restored by Sunday night, at 11 p.m.

Officials add that many local municipalities and emergency resources are providing shelters for residents to charge electronic devices

• Patton Township Board Meeting Room (100 Patton Plaza, State College, PA)
• Centre Hall Volunteer Fire Company (134 Witmer Ave, Centre Hall, PA)
• Snow Shoe EMS (492 W. Sycamore Road, Snow Shoe, PA)
• Alpha Fire Station—Patton Station (2598 Green Tech Drive, State College, PA)
• Miles Township Fire Company (102 Broad Street, Rebersburg, PA)
• College Township Building (1481 E. College Ave, State College, PA)

Authorities add that residents who are still without power can also visit the following Giant and Giant Eagle locations to receive two gallons of free bottled water and two bags of ice.

• 255 Northland Center, State College, PA
• 2121 S. Atherton Street, State College, PA
• 2699 Benner Pike, Bellefonte, PA

According to PowerOutage.us, approximately 16,000+ customers are still without power in Centre County

ORIGINAL |

In Centre County, several drivers were forced to abandoned their cars Tuesday night after finding themselves surrounded by downed power lines on a busy street.

Officials say that along West College Avenue, between Whitehall Road and Bristol Avenue, several power lines came down Tuesday evening as strong storms moves through the region.

Many of those cars are still abandoned on the roadway, and hundreds of homes and businesses are still without power in the area.

Officials say the road remains blocked off as utility crews work to safely remove the lines.

Emergency officials say at around 7 p.m. Tuesday, winds from the storm ravished the Centre County region.

Along West College Avenue, in Ferguson Township, multiple utility lines were taken down at the same time.

Several cars were driving along the roads when the lines came down, leaving some people trapped inside of their cars with power lines on top of them. Thankfully those occupants in the cars were eventually rescued and are safe.

For one nearby resident, who has been without power, she is just grateful that the storm was not worse than it was.

“It’s definitely an inconvenience, but it’s nothing that compares to somebody that actually has a tornado come through, so, thankfully, we’re alright. Our home is okay. The shed can be replaced, so we’re just thankful and this was just like a little glimpse of what I’m sure other people see when they actually do get a tornado,” said local resident Tracy Jackson.

According to some of the power company workers we spoke to, cleanup will continue and a timeline on power restoration is unknown at this time.

Drivers are urged to avoid this stretch of road until cleanup is complete.