What’s Happening

About 3,000 field workers are facing bitter temperatures and treacherous roadways today as they restore power following the impact of Winter Storm Fern. As of 9 a.m. Tuesday, approximately 13,000 customers across Virginia and West Virginia are without electric service. The total includes about 7,300 customers in Virginia and 5,700 in West Virginia. Additional outages occurred overnight, as expected, resulting from heavy ice accumulation bringing down tree limbs. APCo’s Storm Response Team anticipates more power outages as ice melts.

Hundreds of personnel equipped with helicopters and specialized machines are focused on the hardest‑hit areas: Smyth and Washington counties in Virginia, and Lincoln and Kanawha counties in West Virginia.

APCo’s Outage Map lists more than 100 warming centers open to the public across its footprint.

Estimated Times of Restoration (ETRs)

APCo’s Storm Response team expects to restore service to the majority of customers affected by Winter Storm Fern by 11 p.m. tonight, Jan. 27. The storm caused significant damage in parts of Smyth and Washington counties in Virginia and Lincoln and Kanawha counties in West Virginia. These customers will see crews conduct extensive work in their area.

Extensive Restoration Activities

Virginia: Smyth & Washington counties

• Hungry Mother Park – Saltville and surrounding areas: Helicopters have been requested to assist with installation of poles. Trees, branches and limbs continue to fall in this area, causing hazardous work conditions and increased outages.
• Glade – Whitetop and surrounding areas: Cold weather continues to cause additional outages as trees and limbs fall on electrical infrastructure. Roads are still very treacherous, limiting access to many of the problematic areas.
• Abingdon and surrounding areas: Additional tree crews are assisting with clearing a path to the damaged electrical infrastructure. Crews have found numerous instances of broken poles and wire down.

West Virginia: Lincoln & Kanawha counties

• South Hills – Julian and surrounding areas: Crews are onsite working to restore power for customers in these areas. Damage is extensive, and multiple crews are needed to safely gain access to damaged equipment and down wire.
• South Charleston – Cross Lanes and surrounding areas: Power is slowly and carefully being restored to customers in this area. Frigid temperatures and fallen trees are causing delays as crews are working with an abundance of caution.
• Elkview – Mink Shoals and surrounding areas: Damage to electrical infrastructure is extensive in this area. Additional tree crews have shifted to this area to assist with removal and cleanup to help with road conditions.

See page two for outage count by county. Use APCo’s Outage Map for specific outage locations and Estimated Time of Restoration (ETRs).

How APCo Restores Power

• During major outages, APCo prioritizes restoring circuits that deliver electricity to essential public safety facilities, such as hospitals, 911 call centers, water treatment plants and police and fire stations.
• Next, crews focus on repairing lines and equipment that restore power to the largest groups of customers. Sometimes, a single repair can bring
  service back to hundreds or thousands of people. Crews then address repairs that restore power to smaller groups, often dozens of customers at a time.
• Finally, power is restored to individual homes and businesses. This phase can take time after a major
  storm due to the high number of individual repairs needed.

Winter Storm Safety Tips

• Extreme cold can overload lines as power is restored to large numbers of customers. Often, we must restore outages in smaller groups to allow the electric load to settle. Customers can help by turning off large electric appliances (like heaters and water heaters) for at least 15 minutes after power is returned.
• APCo will never demand payment or entry; always ask for company photo ID, refuse unsolicited repairs and verify workers using the phone number on your bill or our website.
• Stay away from downed power lines and anything they may contact, such as tree limbs or fences. Immediately report safety hazards by calling 911 or APCo at 800-956-4237.
• When using a generator, always follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Never plug a generator into a wall outlet. Run it outdoors, away from windows and doors, and ensure working carbon monoxide detectors are installed.
• Read more tips at AppalachianPower.com/Safety

 Staying Connected

Enroll in Outage Alerts to get updates on power outages, their ETR and any applicable updates. Follow APCo on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for updates.

Outage Count by County

Next Update

1 p.m. ET Tuesday, Jan. 27