FirstEnergy Utilities Restore Service to More Than 1.4 Million Customers Affected by Hurricane Sandy

AKRON, Ohio, Nov. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 16,000 FirstEnergy (NYSE: FE) employees, contractors and workers from other utilities – including 10,700 line, hazard and forestry crews – have been working around the clock to restore service to customers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and Maryland who lost power following Hurricane Sandy.  Around-the-clock work will continue until the restoration process is complete.

Power has been restored to approximately 82 percent of customers in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and Maryland who were affected by the storm.  In New Jersey, where a direct hit from the massive storm inflicted catastrophic damage across the state, significant progress is being made.  While flood waters and substantial debris are still impeding access to many areas, service to more than 490,000 customers has been restored.

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 children and pets away from them.  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.   

Based on current damage assessments, the following estimated service restoration times have been established:

• JCP&L – A majority of the remaining 710,000 customers should have power restored by next Wednesday.  Customers in the hardest-hit areas can expect to be restored in an additional seven days from that date.
• Metropolitan Edison (Met-Ed) – Of the 60,000 customers who remain without power, 95 percent will be restored by late Saturday, with the remainder restored early next week.
• The Illuminating Company (CEI) – Restoration estimates for the 61,000 customers who remain without power are:
  • Solon area – Friday evening
  • Ashtabula County, Lake County and far eastern suburbs including Euclid and Mayfield – midnight Sunday
  • Cleveland and near east, west and southwest suburbs – midnight Monday
• Mon Power – Approximately 64,000 customers impacted by heavy snow remain without power.  The majority of affected customers in counties served by Mon Power are expected to be restored by the middle of next week.  Customers in the hardest-hit areas might not be fully restored until the end of next week.
• Potomac Edison - Estimated restoration times for the 18,500 Potomac Edison customers who remain without power are:
  • West Virginia customers – midnight Saturday
  • Maryland customers – Saturday evening, except Garrett County, which was particularly hard hit and requires further assessment
  • Pennsylvania customers – midnight Saturday

FirstEnergy's restoration process is designed to restore power safely and efficiently for affected customers.  Crews are focused on responding to hazardous situations and high-priority damage locations, including the transmission and substation facilities that supply power for local distribution systems.  Priority also is given to hospitals, critical care and life support facilities, communications facilities, emergency response agencies and circuits serving the largest number of customers, followed by restoration of service to individual homes.

Customers without power are encouraged to call 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877) to report their outage or click the "Report Outage" link on www.firstenergycorp.com.

For updated information on the company's current outages, FirstEnergy's storm restoration process and tips for staying safe, visit the 24/7 Power Center at www.firstenergycorp.com/outages.  JCP&L customers can find the latest information on Facebook at www.facebook.com/JCPandL.  FirstEnergy operating companies also will provide updates via Twitter:

• JCP&L: @JCP_L
• Met-Ed: @Met_Ed
• Potomac Edison: @PotomacEdison
• Mon Power: @MonPowerWV
• The Illuminating Company: @IlluminatingCo

FirstEnergy is a diversified energy company dedicated to safety, reliability and operational excellence.  Its 10 electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving customers in Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and West Virginia.  Its generation subsidiaries control more than 20,000 megawatts of capacity from a diversified mix of scrubbed coal, non-emitting nuclear, natural gas, hydro, pumped-storage hydro and other renewables.  Follow FirstEnergy on Twitter @FirstEnergyCorp.

(110212)

SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.