PARMA, Ohio — Power companies have been working around the clock since Tuesday evening to clear downed lines and restore power to more than 400,000 customers in northeast Ohio.
In Parma and Parma Heights, storms caused trees and power poles to fall.
“(This is) the first time I’ve seen a situation like this,” said Marietta Krasilnikov, who has lived in a home on West Ridgewood Drive in Parma Heights for more than 26 years.
The sight was historic for the entire neighborhood. On West Ridgewood Drive, for example, a dozen houses were blocked by fallen wires.
“It’s a difficult situation for everyone. Many people have no electricity, including us. But we are trapped,” said Nancie Stamey.
News 5
The registered nurse lives in a townhouse complex across from the Shoppes at Parma and told News 5 she can’t go to work because the pipes are blocking garages and the complex’s driveway. Stamey said she has to carefully maneuver around the chaos to get to food and supplies.
“I did a DoorDash and had to get really creative,” she said. “Going through the backyard, jumping over a fence, through a lot of bushes and everything.”
The Illuminating Company told Stamey that lines are down and crews are working to remedy the situation, but teams across the region are facing historic challenges.
“This storm has had a tremendous impact on the Northern Ohio region,” said Hannah Catlett, a spokeswoman for FirstEnergy. “It’s just a huge effort.”
According to Catlett, more than 3,000 FirstEnergy employees and contractors are currently actively working to restore power, working 16-hour shifts with eight-hour breaks.
“Their own families are among those without power, and they had to keep them in the dark to get power to people,” Catlett said. “We just tell people to be patient. They’re working really hard.”
She said the main effort on Tuesday and Wednesday was to clear hazards so workers could safely access power lines and poles. More than 1,000 forestry workers were busy cutting down and clearing fallen trees and branches.
If you received a notice that your power may not be back on until August 14, Catlett said that is an estimate of when the entire service area will be back online.
“Thousands of people will be back in hospital before then. Thousands will be back in hospital today, tomorrow and over the weekend. The Wednesday deadline is really just for the whole company,” she said. “But we want people to have an honest assessment and be able to plan and prepare their lives.”
The strength of Tuesday’s storms left more than 400,000 FirstEnergy customers without power. Catlett said it was the largest single event in more than 30 years. In 1993, 300,000 customers were without power.
“This is really significant in light of what we have experienced in the past and what we now need to clean up,” Catlett said.
Stamey said she appreciates the hard work of the leadership teams and tries to be patient, but she also said it is frustrating not being able to leave the house.
“I understand that they are doing their best and I just hope that they get to us soon,” she said.
On Thursday afternoon, emergency crews began removing fallen power poles from W Ridgewood Dr.
FirstEnergy is asking customers who are experiencing power outages to report them if they haven’t already done so. Catlett said that would give the company a clearer picture of where and how many outages still need to be repaired.
We are moving through
Do you have a story you’d like us to follow? Let us know.
