(June 18, 2009) - As of 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, about 4,900 MLGW customers remain without power. Since Friday, MLGW has restored power to approximately 135,000 customers. More than 800 MLGW employees and contractors have been on the streets working 24-hours a day, in 16-hour shifts, to restore power.

Customers still without power are encouraged to call MLGW Outage Hotline at 544-6500 to ensure that MLGW is aware of their existing outages. Sometimes, individual outages are not evident until circuit, fuse or transformer repairs are completed first. To report an outage, customers will need to have their account number or the phone number that's associated with their account.

Over 10,000 customers who attempted to report an electrical outage through the MLGW Outage Hotline entered an unrecognizable phone number or their telephone caller I.D. was not recognized. If you were one of those customers, please call MLGW at 544-MLGW (6549) and update your telephone number. Also, whenever telephone numbers change at physical addresses, please call 544-6549 and make an update to your telephone number.

Whenever utility services pose a public danger (life-threatening situation or imminent property damage), please call MLGW's dedicated emergency line at 528-4465. This number should be treated the same as you would '911'. Please do not use this emergency number to report an electrical outage. Uses for the MLGW's dedicated emergency line include:

Gas leaks, strong odor of gas

Downed electrical wires

Sparking electrical wires

Broken and leaking water mains

Unsafe MLGW street barricades

If the situation warrants emergency services from law enforcement, fire protection or medical services, call the Shelby County 911.

If customers are using a generator, it must be properly ventilated for customer safety. Place generators outside, never in an enclosed area. It is not safe to place generators inside a garage, even if the garage door is left cracked or open.

Some customers may have damage to their weatherheads. The weatherhead is usually located above the roofline or attached to the gable or side of the house where the customer’s wiring connects to MLGW’s electric lines. The weatherhead is the homeowner's property and therefore is not maintained by MLGW. If it is damaged, a customer must have it repaired by a licensed electrician and inspected by Code Enforcement before MLGW can restore your power. – http://mlgw.com/images/weather_head.jpg

MLGW has received reports that a man claiming to be an MLGW employee has been asking for money to restore power to homes in the Crump area. The man is not in MLGW uniform and does not have a valid MLGW ID. MLGW employees do not ask customers for payment when restoring service or performing any MLGW duties in the field. MLGW employees will always have valid MLGW identification. Always ask to see an employee's ID.

MLGW is providing constant updates on www.mlgw.com and on MLGW's Twitter page at www.twitter.com/mlgw, where customers can interact live with an MLGW representative. In addition, you can also communicate with MLGW on Facebook and MLGW's blog "Bird on a Wire". Both can be found through MLGW's web site.

MLGW is the largest three-service public power utility in the nation, serving more than 420,000 customers in Memphis and Shelby County.