Rockford's Independent Newspaper

ComEd customers still without power during deadly cold spell

Staff Report

CHICAGO — More than 500 ComEd and contractor crews are working to restore service to approximately 9,400 customers who are without power in the extreme cold that has hit northern Illinois.

As of Wednesday morning, crews had already restored electric service to more than 42,000 customers. At peak, about 50,000 customers were without power.

“Our crews worked throughout the night to restore power to customers who experienced outages,” said Terence R. Donnelly, president and chief operating officer, ComEd. “The extreme cold can create very challenging conditions for customers and our crews, who are working around the clock to restore service. We strongly recommend that our customers take whatever precautions are necessary to stay safe.”

Public safety is paramount during extreme cold. ComEd recommends that any customer who experiences an outage go to a heated location such as a community warming center until power is restored. Warming center locations appear on ComEd’s mobile app and  Outage Map, which customers also can use to easily find information on the location and size of outages and get estimated power restoration times.

ComEd has reached out to customers who have family members who rely on life-support equipment to make sure they take proper precautions. ComEd has deployed warming buses to Chicago’s Gresham neighborhood and Robbins, Ill., and has additional warming buses on standby for customers in affected areas.

To protect crews who are working in the extreme cold, the company is assigning multiple crews to restoration work that might normally take one crew, so that they can rotate and allow workers to warm up while restoring power as safely and quickly as possible.

ComEd encourages the public to take the following precautions:

  • If a downed power line is spotted, immediately call ComEd at 1-800-EDISON1 (1-800-334-7661). Spanish-speaking customers should call 1-800-95-LUCES (1-800-955-8237).
  • Never approach a downed power line. Always assume a power line is energized and extremely dangerous.
  • In the event of an outage, do not approach ComEd crews working to restore power to ask about restoration times. Crews may be working on live electrical equipment and the perimeter of the work zone may be hazardous.
  • Do not shovel snow onto ComEd equipment.
  • Only operate generators outside and in well-ventilated areas. Gasoline-powered generators produce carbon monoxide, and the fumes can be deadly.

ComEd urges customers to contact the company immediately if they experience a power outage. Customers can text OUT to 26633 (COMED) to report an outage and receive restoration information, and can follow the company on Twitter @ComEd or on Facebook at Facebook.com/ComEd. Customers can also call 1-800 EDISON1 (1-800-334-7661), or report outages at ComEd.com/report. Spanish-speaking customers should call 1-800-95-LUCES (1-800-955-8237). ComEd has a mobile app for iPhone and Android® smart phones that allows customers to report power outages and manage their accounts; download the app at ComEd.com/app. R.

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