Cleanup continues after deadly storms slam the Pittsburgh area, leaving thousands without power
Cleanup efforts are entering a third day after strong storms slammed the Pittsburgh area earlier this week, leaving three people dead and hundreds of thousands without power.
A state of emergency was declared for the city of Pittsburgh and for Allegheny County after the storms moved through the region, leaving downed trees and wires in their wake and leaving a large mess that needs to be cleaned up.
From the measure of the wind gusts to the amount of damage, officials said this storm is unlike anything they've seen before. John Hilderbrand II, the Vice President of Operations at Duquesne Light, said Tuesday's storm is one of the top three events he's seen during his 40 years in the utility business.
Duquesne Light, which covers parts of Beaver and Allegheny counties, said over 325,000 customers lost power at one point. As of Thursday night, over 100,000 customers remain without power. Across Pennsylvania, FirstEnergy is reporting that over 73,000 customers are without power, with thousands in Allegheny, Armstrong, Washington and Westmoreland counties.
Both Duquesne Light and FirstEnergy say they're taking an all-hands approach to restoring power and also relying on contractors from other states and other utility crews to help get things back on line as fast as they can. Duquesne Light estimated that full power restoration could take five to seven days, though most people will see it restored sooner.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro was in Allegheny County on Wednesday and said his administration will continue to be on the scene in Pittsburgh area "as long as it takes."
Three people killed in Western Pennsylvania storms
A man, identified by the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office as 59-year-old David Lepinsky, was electrocuted in Pittsburgh's South Side Slopes neighborhood Tuesday evening as the storms moved through the city. Sources said a live wire fell on Lepinsky's vehicle and he was killed trying to move the wire with a stick.
Elsewhere in the county, Ross Township Police said 67-year-old Raymond Gordon died after a tree fell on top of him while he was walking back to his house while working outside.
Pennsylvania State Police said Andrew Celaschi was also killed by a falling tree. Troopers said Celaschi was a passenger in a car driving on Jefferson Road in Franklin Township, Greene County, when he was hit.
The same line of storms killed a fourth person in State College, about 120 miles away from Pittsburgh. State College Police said a 22-year-old who was trying to put out a mulch fire was electrocuted by an active electrical current, CBS affiliate WTAJ reported.
Downed power line in Monroeville forces crews to block off road
A downed live power line on Harper Drive in Monroeville has led to a part of the road being blocked off.
"I'm worried for the kids," John Seidling said.
Neighbors said children are riding their bikes across it to head to the playground on the other side. Since Tuesday's storms, the power line has been sitting in a neighbor's front yard. It fell when this tree snapped off and hit it.
"It's an inconvenience," said Sally Seidling.
Sally said neighbors didn't realize the power line was live until Wednesday, when trucks were driving up and down the street.
"All of a sudden, the line would pop and sparks would fly, and a lot of smoke came out," Sally said.
Sally and John said they've called Duquesne Light several times, but the lines are busy.
KDKA's Mamie Bah gave it a try: "We are experiencing higher than normal call volumes," a recorded message said.
It was difficult to get to an operator, so KDKA reached out to a spokesperson for Duquesne Light. They took the report and escalated it.
Crews arrived within two hours of KDKA making the call on Thursday.
"I wanna thank them because I know they've been out like crazy everywhere, so it's not that I'm complaining because they didn't come here right away," Sally said. "It's just that I see what happens when you're waiting and waiting and they can't get to it."
