Most storm-hit Appalachian Power customers reportedly have service back

(WDBJ) UPDATE: - All remaining customers in Virginia & Tennessee without power should be restored tonight.

UPDATE: More than 80 percent of Appalachian Power customers who lost power during heavy Saturday night winds have power back as of Sunday night, according to the utility.

Click here for the outage map.

As of Sunday night, according to Appalachian Power, of the 16,400 customers still without power, 4,400 are in Virginia, 11,800 are in West Virginia and about 200 are in Tennessee.

In Virginia and Tennessee, the utility estimates, service will be restored Sunday night for most customers in Bland, Floyd, Giles, Patrick, Russell, Tazewell and Wythe counties, and by Monday night for customers in other, more heavily damaged parts of Virginia and Tennessee.

UPDATE: 13,300 Virginia customers are still without power early Sunday following high winds Saturday.

According to Appalachian Power:

“Restoration Estimates – Virginia and Tennessee

Sunday Night for most customers in Bland, Floyd, Giles, Patrick, Russell, Tazewell and Wythe counties.
Monday Night for most customers in other, more heavily damaged areas of Virginia and Tennessee.

Most customers currently without service in these areas will have power restored before the stated times, and customers are encouraged to view the company’s outage map or sign up for outage alerts for information on their specific outage.”

ORGINAL STORY: High winds Saturday with peaks of over 50 mph caused tree-related damage to electrical facilities across much of Appalachian Power’s service area. Storm damage as of noon Sunday has left more than 37,000 customers in Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee without electric service.

Click here for the outage map.

Appalachian Power states “All downed lines are dangerous — they carry an electric current that can cause serious or even fatal injuries. Stay away to stay alive. If you encounter a fallen wire, keep yourself and others away from it and anything it may be touching, and call 911 and Appalachian Power at 1-800-956-4237 immediately.”

Additional safety tips are posted at appalachianpower.com/outages/faq/OutageSafetyTips.aspx.