Alabama Power going all-out to complete restoration following dangerous storms
Alabama Power crews have restored service to 95 percent of customers who lost it during the Easter Sunday storms. (Dennis Washington / Alabama NewsCenter)
Close to 95 percent of customers who had their electric service disrupted by the damaging waves of weekend storms are back on as Alabama Power crews continue on the path to getting all customers restored.
As of 6 p.m. today, the power was on for more than 295,000 of the 312,000 customers affected by the severe weather. Among the many communities with service fully restored are metro Mobile, Anniston, Montgomery, Auburn, Selma, Clanton, Roanoke, Pell City, Phenix City and Talladega. Communities in the Wiregrass region also have been restored.
Company crews, along with more than 700 additional personnel from seven states, are now focused on areas with the most severe damage, including sections of Jefferson, Blount, Etowah and Walker counties. Hit hard by the weekend storms, many of these areas are more remote with crews facing multiple trees down in difficult terrain. The downed trees took with them power poles, transformers and multiple spans of wire.
Despite the challenges, the company expects to have power on for 99 percent of customers who can take service before the end of the day Wednesday.
During the course of this round-the-clock restoration effort that began Sunday, crews have replaced more than 250 poles, more than 170 transformers and more than 1,300 spans of wire across Alabama Power’s 45,000-square-mile service territory. Additional personnel, brought in from Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas, are helping speed the restoration effort.
Alabama Power is asking the public to please steer clear of working crews and to practice a safe social distance of at least 6 feet. Customers in areas where work is still underway should stay alert to potentially dangerous conditions, such as downed power lines. Customers should not try to remove toppled trees, limbs and debris that could be hiding downed lines. Call Alabama Power at 1-800-888-2726 or contact local law enforcement to report any hazards.
Visit the Alabama Power Storm Center for information about how to stay safe when severe weather strikes.
