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Electric News Releases
January 31, 2000
5 a.m. EST
Virginia Power Crews Work Through Night to Restore Power
RICHMOND, Va. -- Virginia Power line crews worked through
the night to restore power to customers who lost electricity because of the
Super Bowl Sunday ice storm.
As of 4:30 a.m. Monday, about 126,000 of the company's 2
million customers were without electricity. Almost all of the outages were in
the greater Richmond area where ice coated trees, branches and limbs, which
then fell into power lines. Customers should be prepared for the possibility
of multi-day outages.
Virginia Power put a restoration team numbering about 2,500
linemen, tree trimmers and other employees into the field Monday morning to
assist in restoring electricity.
"We'll get a lot of help from the weather today,"
said Tom Hyman, senior vice president-Electric Distribution. "Plus, we've
brought in many crews from other parts of our service area that were not affected
by the ice storm."
Weather forecasters predict temperatures in central Virginia
will climb to about 40 degrees Monday.
To report outages or downed lines, customers should call
1-888-667-3000. Customers without power should:
- Seek shelter with friends or relatives who do have power.
- Make sure they have a battery powered radio and flashlights
on hand.
- Turn off all major appliances and electric heating systems
to avoid overloading the electric system when power is restored.
- Use caution and follow directions carefully when using
portable kerosene heaters.
- Avoid opening refrigerators and freezers to keep perishable
food cold as long as possible.
Virginia Power is the principal subsidiary of Dominion
Resources Inc. (NYSE: D), an energy company with headquarters in Richmond.
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24-Hour Corporate MediaLine: (804) 771-6115
Central Region MediaLine: (804) 755-5400
Eastern Region MediaLine: (757) 857-2700
Northwest Region MediaLine: (703) 591-1201
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