MOUNT VERNON — Electric power restoration continued throughout the region at a steady but slow rate as crews worked to repair lines and clear limbs, trees and poles felled by Sunday’s hurricane-force winds. As of 9 a.m. this morning, the number of customers without power in Knox County is down to around 13,000.
American Electric Power officials said this morning that 11,095 of its customers in Knox County remain powerless, more than 55 percent of its total number of customers. While AEP is giving projections that the restoration of electricity in the Columbus area will take through this weekend, they are no longer projecting completion times for outlying areas such as Knox County.
Previously, the company had stated a goal of having 90 percent of Knox County customers restored by midnight Sunday.
AEP has called in working crews from other divisions, such as Appalachian Power, Kentucky Power, Indiana Michigan Power, and Public Service Company of Oklahoma. Numerous additional utilities and contractors are at work as well. AEP officials said crews are working hard to restore power as quickly and safely as possible, and that they understand customers’ concerns over when their power will be restored.
The Energy Cooperative, which includes Licking Rural Electric, said this morning it still has 400 customers in Knox and 400 in Licking Counties without power. It currently has 13 line crews and seven tree-clearing crews in the field which will continue to work throughout the days and evenings until power is restored.
Consolidated Electric out of Mount Gilead said late Tuesday that it still has 300 customers in Knox County without power, along with 900 in Morrow, 500 in Delaware and 250 in Richland counties. Company officials said efforts are focused on main lines with the most customers, followed by smaller taps and individual outages.
