BRENTWOOD, Pa. — Duquesne Light is preparing for possible storms Thursday night, with crews on standby in case of power outages.
For many customers, the concern is recent. Some only had power restored about a week ago after a powerful storm moved through the area.
In Brentwood, damage from that storm is still visible. A clock tower along the main road was knocked over during high winds.
Channel 11 spoke with neighbors who experienced the storm firsthand.
“The wind out here was insane … pieces of roof falling off everywhere, shingles flying everywhere, wires crackling,” said James Van Kirk, a Brentwood resident.
Van Kirk said he also heard the moment the clock tower came down.
“Transformer blew, then all of a sudden you heard a loud crash — it was boom,” he said.
On the same street, restaurant owner Sam Obaid said he is still recovering after losing power for three days.
“We don’t have power … everything in the fridge is gone. We have to restock again,” Obaid said.
Duquesne Light officials said storms like the one from two weeks ago can be especially challenging for crews, particularly when strong winds last for hours.
“The storm we had a couple weeks ago — the winds really lasted … something like 12 hours. The longer the winds last, the more it delays our response time,” said Matt Neistein, director of communications for Duquesne Light.
The company said it is staffing up ahead of the latest forecast, even as uncertainty remains about how severe conditions could be.
“We are staffing up in anticipation of some weather … still not sure what’s going to come, but we will be prepared,” Neistein said.
While crews prepare, customers are taking precautions.
“I did buy an extra solar panel charger for my cell phone,” one resident said.
Duquesne Light and emergency officials recommend charging electronic devices ahead of potential storms and keeping flashlights on hand in case of power outages.
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