FirstEnergy Crews Have Restored Service to More Than 70 Percent of Customers Affected by Hurricane Irene Within 48 Hours

AKRON, Ohio, Aug. 30, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Service has been restored to more than 680,000 FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) customers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland following Hurricane Irene.  Overall, 920,000 customers were impacted by the storm.  

Crews continue working to restore the 240,000 customers who remain without power as a result of the strong winds and flooding, primarily in areas served by Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L), Metropolitan Edison (Met-Ed) and Pennsylvania Electric Company (Penelec).  

While flooding has subsided in Pennsylvania, some rivers in New Jersey continue to crest, which is hampering restoration efforts.  As flooding subsides and roads continue to be cleared, FirstEnergy utility crews will be able to assess the extent of the damage in previously inaccessible areas.  

More than 4,000 FirstEnergy personnel – including more than 1,000 line, service and forestry crews – are currently involved in the restoration effort.  Today, an additional 25 line crews from Mon Power, another FirstEnergy utility, will be arriving in New Jersey, with more FirstEnergy crews from the Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company and Ohio Edison expected to arrive tomorrow.  Outage restoration times are projected:

• JCP&L – More than 460,000 customers have been restored at this time, down from a peak of 670,000.  A majority of the remaining 210,000 customers should be restored by the weekend, with full restoration by early next week.
• Met-Ed – More than 167,000 customers have been restored at this time, down from a peak of 200,000.  The majority of the remaining 33,000 customers should be restored by midnight Friday.
• Penelec – 32,000 customers have been restored at this time, down from a peak of 37,000.  All affected customers should be restored by midnight Wednesday.

Hurricane Irene also affected 19,000 customers in Maryland served by Potomac Edison.  All of these customers were restored by Monday and 55 FirstEnergy crews and other support personnel involved in that restoration effort were deployed to JCP&L areas.  

In addition to the previously mentioned utilities, line workers, damage assessors, hazard responders, call center representatives and forestry crews from the following FirstEnergy companies have been involved in the Hurricane Irene restoration effort: Pennsylvania Power, Toledo Edison, and West Penn Power.  

As debris from the storm is being cleared, customers are cautioned never to touch downed lines.  Customers should always assume downed wires are carrying electricity and are reminded to keep their children and pets away from downed wires. Downed wires should be reported immediately to your electric company or local police or fire department. Customers should never try to remove trees or limbs from power lines because they could conduct electricity.  They should wait for emergency services or utility crews to arrive.  

To report an outage, JCP&L, Met-Ed and Penelec customers should call 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877) – it's the fastest way to begin the restoration process.

Customer Generators

• To ensure the safety of the home's occupants as well as that of utility company employees who may be working on power lines in the area, the proper generator should be selected and installed by a qualified electrician.  When operating a generator, always disconnect the power coming into your home.  Otherwise, power from your generator could be sent back onto the utility company lines, creating a hazardous situation for utility workers.

For updated information on hurricane restoration news, current outages, FirstEnergy's storm restoration process and tips for staying safe after a storm, go to www.firstenergycorp.com.

JCP&L serves 1.1 million customers in 13 New Jersey counties, and Met-Ed serves 560,000 customers in 13 Pennsylvania counties.  Other FirstEnergy utilities impacted by Hurricane Irene include Penelec, which serves 600,000 customers in 31 Pennsylvania counties, and Potomac Edison, which serves approximately 250,000 customers in seven Maryland counties and 135,000 customers in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia.  

FirstEnergy is a diversified energy company dedicated to safety, reliability and operational excellence.  Its 10 electric distribution companies comprise the nation's largest investor-owned electric system.  Its diverse generating fleet features non-emitting nuclear, scrubbed baseload coal, natural gas, and pumped-storage hydro and other renewables, and has a total generating capacity of approximately 23,000 megawatts.

SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.