ComEd Restores Power to 90 Percent of Customers Affected By Major Storm

CHICAGO, June 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- ComEd has restored service for an estimated 90 percent – about 385,000 – of customers affected by the powerful storms that hit northern Illinois on June 21, including two tornadoes that touched down in the Mount Prospect and Downers Grove areas.

The company expects to have power restored to virtually all of the remaining 10 percent of customers by midnight Friday with the remaining few isolated outages restored on Saturday.  ComEd has mobilized nearly 700 crews to repair downed power lines and damaged equipment that have left approximately 440,000 customers without service.  ComEd has repaired or replaced more than 100 transformers, 79 poles, 151,225 feet of overhead cable and 8,131 feet of underground cable, since the storm struck. This is the fourth-most-severe storm in the last several years, as compared to recent heavy storms, including:

• Aug. 23, 2007 – 634,000 customers affected (worst in a decade)
• Aug. 4, 2008 – 520,000 customers affected
• Oct. 2, 2006 – 490,000 customers affected

Most damaging were the hurricane-force winds, heavy rain and lightning. Sustained winds were clocked with gusts in excess of 80 miles per hour. To assist with the storm restoration effort ComEd has requested assistance from neighboring utilities in Michigan, Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin and Missouri. Additional crews from ComEd's sister utility in Pennsylvania, PECO, arrived Thursday evening. Customers in communities throughout northern Illinois have been affected, but the largest number of outages occurred in the northern and western suburbs. These areas combined have about 30,000 customers without service at this time.

ComEd prioritizes outage restoration to ensure public safety first such as police and fire, then hospitals and other critical customers. Next, ComEd restores feeders, which allows us to return power to large numbers of customers at one time, followed by smaller service restorations and individual outages. 

Public safety is paramount.

• Anyone encountering a downed power line is urged to immediately call ComEd at 1-800-EDISON1 (1-800-334-7661) and report the location. Spanish-speaking customers should call 1-800-95-LUCES (1-800-955-8237).
• Never approach a downed power line. Always presume a power line is energized and extremely dangerous.
• Check on elderly and other sensitive family members and neighbors to ensure their safety and make alternate arrangements, as it may be some time before their power is restored.

ComEd also offers the following suggestions for customers experiencing a prolonged outage:

• Turn off all appliances including your furnace, water heater, and water pump.
• Leave a lamp on so you can know when power has been restored.
• Keep freezer and refrigerator doors closed and open them only when necessary.
• Customers who are on medical support equipment are strongly encouraged to evacuate to a place where they can be comfortable and safe.

Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC), one of the nation's largest electric utilities with approximately 5.4 million customers. ComEd provides service to approximately 3.8 million customers across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state's population. 

Customer Contact:

888-806-2273

SOURCE ComEd