What’s Happening

Approximately 19,000 Appalachian Power Company (APCo) customers remain without power as of 6 p.m. Monday after Winter Storm Fern impacted the company’s three‑state service area on Sunday. The total includes about 10,000 customers in Virginia and 9,000 in West Virginia. Field crews are contending with high wind gusts, fallen trees and limbs, deep snow, frigid temperatures and icy road surfaces. Wind gusts in APCo’s southern service area hindered drone and helicopter assessments for most of Monday; combined with dangerous road conditions, restoration efforts are delayed. 

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. Tuesday, 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 (Smyth & Washington counties, Virginia)

• Hungry Mother Park – Saltville and surrounding areas: Trees, branches and limbs continue to fall in this area, causing hazardous work conditions and increased outages.
• Glade – Whitetop and surrounding areas: Heavy snow and ice accumulation caused severe damage to company infrastructure in this area. Crews have requested helicopters to assist in the replacement of broken poles in areas difficult to access.
• Abingdon and surrounding areas: Additional tree crews have been dispatched to assist with clearing a path to the damaged electrical infrastructure. Crews have found numerous instances of broken poles and wire down.

Extensive Restoration Activities (Lincoln & Kanawha counties, West Virginia)

• Flatwood – Elkview and surrounding areas: Crews are onsite working to restore power for customers in these areas. Damage was extensive, and multiple crews are needed to safely gain access to areas needed for restoration work.
• South Hills – Cross Lanes and surrounding areas: Damage to electrical infrastructure is extensive in this area, specifically along Corridor G heading toward Lincoln County. Additional crews are being shifted to this area.
• Sissonville – Mink Shoals and surrounding areas: Several broken poles and downed wires have been found in this area. Hazardous road conditions are limiting access to some areas, but crews are working with local Emergency Management Services where assistance is needed.

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 onFacebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for updates.

Outage Count by County 

Virginia	Outage Count		Outage Count	West Virginia	Outage Count		Outage Count
Albemarle	0	Grayson	32	Boone	246	Ohio	0
Amherst	0	Henry	Less than 5	Cabell City	Less than 5	Putnam	283
Appomattox	0	Montgomery	7	Clay	217	Raleigh	10
Bedford	0	Nelson	0	Fayette	8	Roane	114
Bland	0	Patrick	0	Greenbrier	0	Summers	0
Botetourt	0	Pittsylvania	0	Jackson	5	Wayne	14
Buchanan	0	Pulaski	0	Kanawha	7,198	Wyoming	24
Buckingham	0	Roanoke	0	Lincoln	984
Campbell	0	Russell	Less than 5	Logan	25
Carroll	0	Scott	Less than 5	Marshall	Less than 5
Craig	0	Smyth	3,012	Mason	Less than 5
Dickenson	0	Tazewell	0	McDowell	0
Floyd	0	Washington	6,036	Mercer	0
Fluvanna	0	Wise	0	Mingo	102
Franklin	546	Wythe	0	Monroe	0
Giles	0			Nicholas	0

Next Update

9 a.m. ET Tuesday, Jan. 27