DELAWARE - Delaware Electric Cooperative released another update on restoring power to Delawareans after Sunday's winter storm.
They say on Tuesday, their crews restored power to over 16,000 homes. But, they say they haven't seen tree damage like this since the ice storm of 1996, and because of that, they still have work to do before getting all customers' power back. DEC says they are using all resources available, and have more crews coming from neighboring utilities to assist in efforts Wednesday.
They hope to restore power to 2,000 more homes by Wednesday morning, but they add it will take several more days for all members to have their power back. DEC says there is still 800 individual damage reports across the system, which means crews will need to remove hundreds of tress, replace dozens of poles, and fix damaged equipment.
Delaware Electric Cooperative says they cannot offer accurate individualized restoration times due to the amount of reports and uncertainty about the scope of that damage across their system. But, they say their crews are working as fast as safely possible and they will continue to put out updates as crews send in damage reports.
Warming shelters are still open at Dover High School in Dover and Sussex Central Middle School in Georgetown for those who need it.
Delaware Electric Cooperative also says because of the way the electric system is designed, restoration does not always move street by street. They say neighboring homes may be served by different circuits, which can result in one home being restored before another close-by. They say restoration decisions are not made based on neighborhoods, locations, or preferences.
They also remind residents to stay away from any downed power lines, and if you see a line that is sparking or actively arcing, to call 911 immediately.
They say all major circuit outages that impact more than 500 customers have been assigned a crew with lineworkers on site, or will have a team onsite the evening of Feb 23. They say their goal is to restore these major outages tonight. They anticipate getting power back to about 60% of customers that currently do not have power. But, they add if crews encounter additional issues, the outages may not be resolved until Tuesday.
They say the major outages they hope to fix Monday night are in the following areas:
- Angola by the Bay
- Swann Keys
- Camp Barnes
- West Bay
- Zoar
- Hollyville
- Old Furnace Road
- Hazlettville Road
- Stonewater Creek
- Trap Pond
- Cool Springs
- Sandtown and Route 10
- Sherwood Acres
- Senators
- Gills Neck Road
- Laurel Road and areas near Gumboro and Millsboro
- Conley's Chapel
- Banks Road and Route 24
- Chappel Lane
- Pyle Center
- Redden Road
DEC says customers who are part of smaller outages not listed should expect their power to come back at some point Tuesday. They say they are dedicating resources to fixing problems that restore power to the greatest number of homes first. If crews run into problems tomorrow with the smaller outages, some customers may not have power back until Wednesday morning. They say this is a worst-case scenario and will work to avoid this at all costs.
DEC says Rappahannock Electric Cooperative joined the Delaware-based contract crews and employees to help restore power. They say there were hundreds of trees down across power lines and took most of the day Monday to survey damage and make sure equipment was safe enough to reenergize.
(Delaware Electric Cooperative)