Dominion Restores Service To More Than 90 Percent Of Customers Affected By Hurricane Isabel
RICHMOND, Va. - Dominion Virginia Power has restored service
to more than 90 percent of its customers who lost power because of Hurricane
Isabel.
As of 1 p.m. Sunday, the company had restored power to more
than 1.6 million customers, or about 91 percent, surpassing its goal of having
90 percent back on by late Sunday night. Of the 1.8 million customers affected,
less than 158,000 remained without power.
Isabel affected about 96 percent of customers in Tidewater,
95 percent in Central Virginia and 69 percent of customers in Northern Virginia.
Virtually all customers should be restored by Friday, Oct. 3.
"We continue to make great progress in restoring electric
service to our customers," said Jimmy D. Staton, senior vice president-Operations.
"We restored service to 70,000 customers on Saturday and are focused on
continuing the momentum, with safety as our top priority."
The restoration work currently under way is expected to take
more time to complete than previous efforts, as utility crews continue to face
challenges of cutting trees that have toppled across power lines, installing
poles and crossarms, and hoisting heavy transformers. The company has been working
around-the-clock to ensure that sufficient supplies and materials are available
and ready for crews restoring power in the field.
Among other highlights:
Dominion's restoration workforce has grown to more than
12,000, reflecting the addition of mutual aid crews released from Washington,
D.C., and Maryland.
The company has dedicated 1,470 crews to restoring electric
service in the hard-hit areas of Hampton Roads, Suffolk, Isle of Wight, Wakefield
and Smithfield. It also has dedicated 1,600 crews to restoring service in
the city of Richmond and the Midlothian area.
Customers still without power should be able to get
individual estimated restoration dates by calling the Dominion Customer Service
Center at 1-888-667-3000. The automated service has a recording to help walk
customers through the process.
Dominion remains concerned about customer safety, especially
from downed power lines and improper use of generators. Residents are urged
to stay at least 10 feet away from downed power lines.
Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers of energy,
with a diversified and integrated energy portfolio that includes 24,000 megawatts
of generation and 6.3 trillion cubic feet equivalent of proved natural gas reserves.
Dominion also serves 5 million retail energy customers in nine states.
