AKRON,
Ohio, Feb. 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- FirstEnergy
Corp. (NYSE: FE) received an Emergency Recovery Award from the
Edison Electric Institute (EEI) in recognition of its outstanding
response in restoring power to hundreds of thousands of customers
in northeast Ohio following a
historic weather event in August 2024
that brought severe thunderstorms, wind and tornadoes.
The company also received the Emergency Assistance Award from
EEI for its support last fall with the restoration efforts
following Hurricanes Helene and Milton. This is the 20th
consecutive year FirstEnergy has been recognized by EEI for its
storm response efforts.
Wade Smith, President,
FirstEnergy Utilities: "I am proud of the dedicated FirstEnergy
employees who worked tirelessly in the wake of an extreme weather
event in northeast Ohio as well as
our crews who traveled south to assist with hurricane restoration
efforts. These were incredibly difficult, challenging working
conditions, and our employees performed safely in restoring power
to hundreds of thousands of impacted customers."
On Aug. 6, FirstEnergy experienced
the most impactful storm to hit its northeast Ohio service territory since 1993. The area
experienced heavy rain and thunderstorms with wind gusts over 80
miles per hour, five tornadoes with winds up to 110 miles per hour,
and a wide area of damaging straight-line winds of 70-90 miles per
hour, known as a macroburst, that struck roughly 225 square miles
in Cuyahoga, Lake and Geauga counties.
Watch a video recap of FirstEnergy's storm restoration
efforts during the historic Aug. 6
storm on FirstEnergy's YouTube channel.
More than 627,700 customers across FirstEnergy's footprint in
Ohio, Pennsylvania, West
Virginia, Maryland and
New Jersey lost power due to the
storms, and approximately 497,500 of those were in Ohio. The damage was widespread, consisting of
hundreds of broken poles and crossarms, downed power lines, and
fallen trees and debris blocking road access.
By Aug. 11, FirstEnergy had
restored power to 94% of the customers who had lost power.
Following the company's Emergency Response Plan, thousands of the
company's line workers, hazard responders, forestry crews,
contractors and safety and support personnel collectively worked
more than 384,000 man-hours in the wake of the storm,
replacing nearly 500 poles, 231 transformers and 75 miles of
wire.
In September and October, FirstEnergy sent approximately 645
line workers and 300 trucks to assist other electric companies with
restoration efforts in the Carolinas, Florida, Georgia and Virginia following Hurricanes Helene and
Milton. FirstEnergy crews logged more than 150,000 man-hours and
navigated hazardous conditions in unfamiliar areas as they worked
to help safely restore service in the wake of the devastating
storms.
Photos and video clips from FirstEnergy's mutual aid
support following Hurricanes Helene and Milton can be
viewed/downloaded here.
EEI presents awards twice annually to member companies for
extraordinary power restoration efforts or assistance to other
electric companies after service disruptions caused by weather
conditions and other natural events. The winners were chosen by a
panel of judges following an international nomination process, and
the awards were presented during EEI's winter Board of Directors
and CEO meeting.
EEI Interim President and CEO Pat
Vincent-Collawn: "EEI commends FirstEnergy for its
efforts to respond safely and efficiently to the aftermath of the
severe weather event in Ohio. We
also applaud FirstEnergy for aiding neighboring electric companies
in their times of need. FirstEnergy and its storm response team are
extremely deserving of these well-earned emergency recovery and
assistance awards."
EEI is the association that represents all U.S. investor-owned
electric companies. Members provide electricity for 220 million
Americans and operate in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. As a whole, the electric
power industry supports more than seven million jobs in communities
across the United States. In
addition to U.S. members, EEI has more than 65 international
electric companies, with operations in more than 90 countries, as
International Members, and hundreds of industry suppliers and
related organizations as Associate Members.
FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and
operational excellence. Its electric distribution companies form
one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems,
serving customers in Ohio,
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West
Virginia, Maryland and
New York. The company's
transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of
transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic
regions. Follow FirstEnergy on X @FirstEnergyCorp or online
at firstenergycorp.com.
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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.
