During the ice storm that hit Fayette County in certain areas Thursday night into Friday morning, 837 county homes lost power — mostly in Jefferson and Paint townships.
According to Mary Ann Kabel, director of AES Ohio Corporate Communications, there was a large service area throughout Ohio that lost power as a result of the storm. The average time customers went without power was three hours as AES had been prepared ahead of time for outages due to ice and snow being expected.
As of 2 p.m. on Friday, there were still some crews out working to bring power back for those still without it. Only two Fayette County residents were still without power, according to the AES outtage map, www.myprofile.aes-ohio.com/Outages/Outages.html.
According to the AES Ohio website, the company has two objectives when customers lose power. Those objectives are to get the power back on as soon as possible and to keep everyone safe.
“When severe weather is in the forecast, AES Ohio adjusts staffing to ensure we are prepared to respond if outages occur. If the lights go out, our teams work around the clock to restore power as quickly and safely as possible. Customers can also take steps to be prepared for severe weather and possible outages,” explains the website.
Customers can be prepared by making an emergency kit.
AES encourages customers to make a plan for what to do in case power does go out:
—Is there a safe place to go if power will be out for an extended period?
—Does someone in the home have a special medical condition? The website explains that while AES Ohio will note medical conditions on customers’ accounts, the company cannot guarantee priority restoration to power.
—Unplug electronic devices or use surge protectors or “inline” uninterruptible power supplies (UPSs) for sensitive/critical equipment.
—Be informed: Bookmark AES Ohio’s Outage Center on a mobile device for quick access to report outages and get updates on the outage map. The American Red Cross and FEMA also offer mobile apps to help people stay informed during emergencies.
During an outage:
—Don’t rely on neighbors to report an outage in the neighborhood. Always report power outages to AES Ohio.
—Be on the lookout for downed power lines. If downed lines are seen, stay away! Keep kids and animals away until crews can make the area safe.
—Check circuit breakers if power goes out. If there is not electricity in part of the house, there could be a blown fuse or tripped circuit breaker. If neighbors have lights, please take a moment to check the breaker. The problem could be inside the residence and require calling an electrician.
—Check to see if elderly family members or neighbors need help. If there is a health problem or concern, seek medical attention immediately.
—Allow crews to work safely. If their are crews in the neighborhood, please do not approach them or their work zones. They need to focus their attention on their technical and hazardous work to restore power as quickly and safely as possible.
—Make sure electric stoves are off. If a burner is on and goes unnoticed after the power is restored, it could cause a fire.
—Don’t run electrical cords from a neighbor’s home.
—If using a portable generator, be sure to follow the instructions in the operator’s manual and allow for proper ventilation.
—Keep fridges and freezers closed to help preserve food longer.
After an outage, the website explains to:
—Restock emergency kit and supplies.
—Check the home and yard for damage. Make repairs to any damaged electrical equipment and address any damaged or hazardous tree branches on the property. AES Ohio does not clean up tree debris following storms
For more information, visit www.aes-ohio.com/outage-safety.
