High winds leave thousands without electric as temperatures drop

PITTSBURGH — Monday’s high winds were a headache for people all across the area.

“It’s unbelievable,” said Jeff Andrews of Coraopolis.

Andrews was without electricity for hours.

“When did your power go out today?” Channel 11’s Andrew Havranek asked.

“Roughly around 10:30 a.m.,” Andrews said.

His neighborhood was told it would be several hours before the lights came back on.

“I got a text from my neighbor that she said she heard it’s coming back on at 4 p.m.,” Andrews told Channel 11 early Monday afternoon. “I hope I don’t have to move food again in the winter like I did in the summer.”

Andrews wasn’t alone in the dark. Thousands of homes and businesses dealt with power outages at different points of the day.

At one point on Monday afternoon, the traffic lights at the intersection of Route 65 and Camp Horne Road were not working, and the businesses were in the dark.

FirstEnergy told Channel 11 that high winds make it hard for crews. But, they said they are working as quickly and safely as possible to get the lights back on.

“Any time, certainly during a storm, safety is definitely one of our top priorities,” said Evan Alves of FirstEnergy. “High winds certainly make it difficult. Our crews cannot safely operate bucket trucks as wind gusts exceed 40 miles per hour, so that obviously can hinder some of the restoration efforts. But we are informing customers that we are prepared and we are ready to restore service as quickly and safely as possible.”

As it continues to get colder on Monday night, not having power for heat can be dangerous. Andrews said he’s prepared.

“I’ve always been the kind of person that I can deal with the cold because you can always put clothes on, bundle up, but you can’t do that in the summer,” Andrews said. “I did have an experience one time in the winter, I had a gas leak, the gas didn’t come on for two days, and it was a very crispy 40-some in this house, so I’m used to a lot colder house than this.”

If your electricity goes out, FirstEnergy said there’s something you should never do to try to warm up.

“Never use gas stoves or kerosene heaters as a heat source,” Alves said.

If you do end up losing power, both FirstEnergy and Duquesne Light ask you to report it to them immediately so they can get crews out.

To report outages to Duquesne Light:

Report it on DLC’s free mobile app or on DuquesneLight.com. Those without internet access can call 888-393-7100.

To report outages to FirstEnergy:

Call 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877), Text OUT to 544487, or report it at: https://www.firstenergycorp.com/outages_help/Report_Power_Outages.html

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