About 1,000 power outages linger 7 days after storms

CLEVELAND (WJW) — It’s been one week since five tornadoes ripped through Northeast Ohio. Since then power to hundreds of thousands of FirstEnergy customers in Northeast Ohio has been restored. But, as of Tuesday afternoon, the utility provider reports about 1,000 outages still linger.

NWS confirms 5th tornado touched down in Northeast Ohio

FirstEnergy is calling storms that hit Northeast Ohio on Tuesday the most impactful to hit The Illuminating Company service territory in more than 30 years.

For FirstEnergy customers

As of noon on Tuesday, FirstEnergy reported about 1,000 Ohio customers are still dealing with power outages. Most of those still affected live in Cuyahoga and Geauga counties specifically the city of Cleveland and Chester Township.

At the height of the damage, power was knocked out to more than 400,000 FirstEnergy customers.

You can find a break down of estimated restoration times by community, here.

“A small number of customers in areas with more extensive damage may experience restoration times that extend further into this week. Those customers will have individual restoration times assigned to their location to help them plan and make arrangements for the days ahead,” said FirstEnergy Ohio President Torrence Hinton during a Monday morning press conference.

On Tuesday evening, heavy downpours and strong winds took down power lines and utility poles across the region. Several tornadoes have been later confirmed with winds exceeding 100 miles per hour.

Tuesday’s storms were the most damaging to The Illuminating Company’s service territory since July 1993, when a powerful line of thunderstorms knocked out power for about 300,000 customers.

To put it in perspective, Hurricane Sandy in 2012 affected about 261,000 customers and Hurricane Ike in 2008 affected about 200,000 customers.

“We understand that customers who remain without power are frustrated and they are tired. We won’t let up our efforts to restore service until every customer impacted by this storm have had their power restored to their home or to their business,” said Hinton.

The utility has noted that if your neighbors’ power has returned but yours has not (or if you were contacted by the company saying your power should be restored), that may mean there’s damage to your home’s service line. Those customers should report their outage by calling 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877) or by texting OUT to 544487.

For Cleveland Public Power customers

As of Tuesday, about 360 Cleveland Public Power customers were still without service, according to a news release. The company said workers had re-energized about 99% of the 34,000 customers that had been out of service since Tuesday’s storms.

“During this event, the first order of business was restoration of the 70 feeders serving the largest number of customers. The next phase of restoration is restoring primary wires that serve smaller segments, so instead of a whole neighborhood you are now tackling possibly two or three streets. We are now in the next phase, which is connecting house loops and service pipes. The service pipes connect power to individual homes and the house loops feed the homes from the poles,” read the release. “The final phases are more labor intensive and may involve several crews to erect poles, and other infrastructure ripped out during the storm.”

Follow the utility on Instagram and X for the latest updates.

Helpful Links:

Affected by outages? How you can be reimbursed

Where to get free water, ice while power’s out

Where shelf-stable meals are being distributed

Community centers open as power outages continue

Where to refill oxygen tanks in Cuyahoga County

Stay safe during a power outage

The Cuyahoga County Office of Emergency Management is aiding municipalities hit by outages.

The office recommends checking in on friends and neighbors, so long as it’s safe to do. Here are some other safety tips from the office:

• Call 911 in emergencies. Emergencies are events that include serious medical issues, any type of fire, life threatening situations, and crimes in progress. Do NOT dial 9-1-1 for non-emergencies, or to check the status of a power outage.

• NEVER touch downed wires or electrical power lines and keep children and pets away from them. If you encounter a downed power line, stay away, and call 9-1-1. If a power line falls on your vehicle, remain inside until first responders arrive.

• Avoid carbon monoxide poisoning. Use generators, camp stoves or charcoal grills outdoors, at least 20 feet away from any building openings like windows, doors or garages. Never use a gas stovetop, oven, grill or dryer to heat your home.

• Stay fire safe. Use flashlights, lanterns and other battery-powered lights. Don’t use gas stoves or candles to heat your home. Always use fireplaces, portable heaters, and wood-burning stoves safely. Don’t leave a vehicle running inside a garage, even if the garage door is left open. If you use your vehicle as a source of power or to stay cool, make sure to run it in a well-ventilated place outside. Only use your generator outside of your home, do not run it inside a home or garage or connect it to your home’s electrical system.

• When in doubt, throw it out. Throw away any refrigerated food that has been exposed to temperatures 40 degrees Fahrenheit or higher for more than 4 hours. Throw away refrigerated food that has an unusual odor, color or texture.

• Replace refrigerated medications if the power is out for a day or more unless the drug’s label says otherwise. Call your doctor or pharmacist if you depend on refrigerated medications that have been at room temperature.

• Unplug appliances, equipment, and electronics to avoid damage from electrical surges. Use surge protection devices.

• Pay attention to water advisories. Boil water or use bottled water from your emergency supply kit, if needed.

• Know how to stay cool in extreme heat, even when the power is out. Check your local municipality’s website for information on cooling centers. Find places with air conditioning that you can go to. Find shade, wet your skin with water, avoid high-energy activities and wear lightweight, light-colored clothing.

• Keep pets safe! Bring pets inside during severe weather. Make sure that pets have identification tags and are secured on a leash when outside.

If you need help with food or other assistance

• Call the United Way Help Center at 211 for resource information for food, clothing, housing, healthcare and more. The Unite Way Help Center is free and available 24 hours a day.

• The Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless provides resource information for meal sites, housing, counseling and more. Find more information here.

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