CLEVELAND (WJW) — Tens of thousands of people remain without power in Northeast Ohio after powerful winds whipped the region on Sunday.
FirstEnergy spokesperson Lauren Siburkis tells Fox 8 that it could be Thursday before power is restored to everyone.
As of 5:00 p.m. Monday, more than 45,000 customers were still without power … down from a high of 215,000 Northeast Ohio customers Sunday. Siburkis says that FirstEnergy is using 200 additional contractors and line workers from its sister companies in areas that have been less impacted by the windstorm.
Crews are working around the clock in 16 hour shifts, according to Siburkis. She says the storm knocked about power across the region from Toledo to New Jersey. More than 500 trees blew onto powerlines, which hampered the power restoration efforts.
Also, because the winds continued to howl over 40 miles per hour through the day and into Sunday night, it was too dangerous for workers to go up in buckets to repair the lines.
FirstEnergy says customers in the immediate Cleveland area should have power restored by Wednesday evening. But Summit County was the hardest hit area. Power may not be back on there until Thursday afternoon, especially in the West Akron neighborhood where four thousand customers remained in the dark late Monday afternoon.
Get the latest headlines on FOX8.com below:
- Disney has ‘enough room to build another Disneyland’ in California city, chairman says
- Christmas tree illuminated at Rockefeller Center
- Henry Kissinger, former secretary of state and diplomat, dies at 100
- American diplomat Henry Kissinger dies at 100
- Man arrested after protesters try to confront Transportation Secretary Buttigieg at Michigan event
