Widespread power outages in Pittsburgh area, Duquesne Light "estimating 5-7 days restoration time"
Hundreds of thousands of customers in the Pittsburgh area were left without power after powerful storms ripped through downtown Pittsburgh and the greater Western Pennsylvania region late Tuesday afternoon, bringing extremely high winds and torrential downpours.
The damage is widespread across the area, from the city of Pittsburgh to other hard-hit places like Beaver County, and many spent Wednesday cleaning up the downed trees and debris. On Wednesday afternoon, Allegheny County and Pittsburgh leaders were the latest to declare a state of emergency due to the storms.
Many schools around the area were forced to either delay or cancel classes on Wednesday due to the severity of the storms, power outages and damage.
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.
When will power be restored?
Representatives from Duquesne Light held a news conference Wednesday morning with Gainey and the city's Departments of Public Safety and Public Works.
Duquesne Light is estimating that full restoration of power could take a week. However, additional storms and wet weather later this week could impact that estimate and extend the work longer.
"As you know, we go in order of priority – safety, safety hazards, critical facilities, large blocks of customers and then single individual customers last," John Hilderbrand II, the Vice President of Operations at Duquesne Light, said. "Please be patient with us as we work through this event. Currently, based on what we know, notwithstanding weather that is predicted in the coming days that could be impactful, we're estimating five to seven days restoration time."
Additional work crews are being brought in to help with the efforts.
"City leadership has been working closely with Duquesne Light and we've been made aware that approximately 400 additional crews are here and will be here [Thursday] to add capacity to our recovery," Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey said.
A First Energy spokesperson told KDKA that there are "hundreds of areas with unique damage," meaning crews need to survey all the damage before they "can understand what materials will be necessary."
Storm-related deaths in Pittsburgh
There have been at least three storm-related deaths. One person was fatally electrocuted in Pittsburgh, and Mayor Gainey extended his condolences to the victim's family and held a moment of silence during Wednesday morning's news conference.
"I want to acknowledge the tragedy that happened in the South Side Slopes," he said. "Last night, we know an individual lost their life. I want to say from my administration to the family, we are praying for you. I know that this is a difficult time and I want to extend my condolences to the family [and friends]."
In addition, Gainey said two Pittsburgh firefighters were hurt.
"I also want to honor the dedication and bravery of our first responders, including those last night in the fire department who were injured in the line of duty," he said. "One was treated at the scene and released, and the other was transported in stable condition."
The other two deaths were people killed by falling trees in Ross Township, Allegheny County, and in Franklin Township, Greene County.
Danger of downed power lines
Authorities emphasized safety and caution when outdoors in the coming days. If you see any downed wires, trees or poles, do not approach them, officials warned. Instead, call 911 immediately and let the professionals come out and handle it.
Gainey asked parents and guardians to relay that information to their children.
"We know our kids are not going to stay in the house; we know they are going outside. I've already seen them outside today. I just want you to remind the kids that if they see a downed wire – do not touch it, do not play with it – walk away from it," Gainey said. "If you see barricades there, don't go around them. We know our kids like to have fun and they like to explore, but for all the parents, guardians out there, grandparents, please let your kids know that if they see a downed wire do not touch it."
Gainey also asked that neighbors check on their neighbors, and that if you don't need to go out, just stay home today while crews clean up.
City officials said they will bring in temporary stop signs for roads and intersections that do not have working traffic lights. They are asking people to take it slow on the roads, be patient and take turns.
An "unprecedented" event
From the measure of the wind gusts to the amount of damage, officials said this storm is unlike anything they've seen before.
For Hilderbrand, who has worked in utilities for 40 years, this powerful storm is one he will never forget.
"As you can all imagine, we're still assessing the full damage from the storm last evening, but it is already clear that this is an unprecedented event in the history of Duquesne Light Company," he said. "Personally, for me, I've been in the utility business for 40 years. This is one of the top three events in my 40-year history."
He added that they have gotten "reports of more than 22,000 hazards, some of which are wires down, some of which are poles broken."
Emergency management officials said this may be the first, but it's likely not the last time we see intense weather events like this one.
"It has been many years since we've seen weather of this magnitude," Adam Ameel, the deputy emergency management coordinator for the city. "We did have between 70-80 mile per hour winds. This has been a first for me with this amount of wind, and we'll continue to see these as weather changes."
Amid the "unprecedented" event, homeowners have hit a wall when it comes to supplies. People told KDKA big box stores like Lowe's and Walmart are sold out of generators on Wednesday.
Southwestern Pennsylvania storms leave trail of damage
The storms brought extremely strong winds to the area. The National Weather Service said the Pittsburgh airport reported a 71.3 mph wind gust, which is the third strongest ever recorded there.
The storms were quick but powerful, and people across Western Pennsylvania were left to assess the damage.
The National Weather Service had a team in Wilkinsburg to survey potential tornado damage. Also, weather investigators said the "storm is not considered a "derecho," primarily because it lacked periodic measured gusts in excess of 75 mph along the damage swath."
Help and resources
The city opened neighborhood senior centers for people who need to charge their electronics or need a place to shelter, Gainey said. They are also a safe place to go for people who use oxygen.
Here is a list of those shelters from the city's website.
In addition, here is a list of numbers you may need in the days ahead as restoration efforts continue.
For safety emergencies, call 911, and for non-emergency reports, use the city's 311 hotline or dial 412-255-2621. For aid, call the American Red Cross at 412-263-3100.
