ComEd Restores Power to 55,000 Customers Following Damaging Ice Storms
23 February 2023 - 02:01PM
Business Wire
Crews working around the clock to safely
restore service as quickly as possible
Combination of ice and high winds mean
restoration effort likely will last days
B-roll footage of crews restoring outages today:
https://vimeo.com/801412568/35e12af7cd
After significant ice storms moved through northern Illinois
Wednesday afternoon, ComEd crews have restored power to more than
55,000 customers. The hardest hit areas are the north and northwest
areas of Illinois. About 100,000 customers remain without power as
of 8 pm while ComEd and contractor crews work 24/7 in challenging
conditions to restore service to all remaining customers as quickly
and safely as possible.
Following the ice storms today, high winds with gusts of up to
50 miles per hour are expected tomorrow, which can tear down frozen
trees and branches, damaging ComEd equipment and leading to
additional power outages. The combination of widespread ice and
high winds mean it likely will take multiple days to restore all
customers affected by the storms. ComEd is calling in additional
crews from other states to help restore power to customers more
quickly.
“The layer of ice covering trees, roads and our equipment
creates hazards for our crews and can contribute to additional
power outages well after the storm has passed,” said Terence R.
Donnelly, president and COO of ComEd. “We know losing electric
service is frustrating, and we thank everyone for their patience as
we work safely to repair damaged equipment and get the power
flowing again for all of our customers.”
ComEd has been investing in power grid upgrades and tree
trimming to minimize the impact of storms. Since smart grid
upgrades began in 2011, ComEd has avoided more than 19 million
power outages – saving more than $3.3 billion in outage-related
costs – and improved overall reliability by more than 80 percent.
In 2022, ComEd delivered its best reliability ever and was
recognized with the ReliabilityOne Award for having the most
resilient power grid in the U.S.
ComEd prioritizes repairs that will bring back the greatest
number of customers at once, and focuses on critical services, such
as hospitals, senior centers, law enforcement and fire departments.
Crews then move to restoration of individual outages. The following
tips and information encourage customers to stay safe following
severe weather:
- If you encounter a downed power line, immediately call ComEd at
1-800-EDISON-1 (1-800-334-7661).
- Spanish-speaking customers should call 1-800-95-LUCES
(1-800-955-8237).
- Never approach a downed power line. Always assume a power line
is energized and extremely dangerous.
- Check on elderly and other family members and neighbors to
ensure their safety and make alternate arrangements in the event of
an outage.
Customers can sign up for Outage Alerts at ComEd.com/Alerts or
text OUT to 26633 to report their outage and receive restoration
information about when their power may be restored.
ComEd also offers a mobile app for iPhone® and Android™® smart
phones that gives customers the ability to report power outages and
manage their accounts. In addition, customers can report outages
through ComEd’s Facebook and Twitter pages.
ComEd is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NASDAQ:
EXC), a Fortune 200 energy company with approximately 10 million
electricity and natural gas customers – the largest number of
customers in the U.S. ComEd powers the lives of more than 4 million
customers across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state’s
population. For more information visit ComEd.com and connect with
the company on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230222006098/en/
ComEd Media Relations 312-394-3500
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