Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division, with the help of mutual-aid crews, completed the restoration of all 60,000 customers who lost power in the aftermath of an ice storm that struck Sunday afternoon, March 2.

Ninety-nine percent of all those affected had power by late Thursday night; the remainder were restored Friday. This was the largest storm-related outage this year, causing an estimated $2.8 million in damages. MLGW crews worked 16-hour shifts to restore power. Mutual-aid crews from Tennessee, Alabama, Missouri and Indiana joined the restoration effort, starting last Tuesday. Those crews have been released and are returning home.

“After any lengthy restoration, there is much to be grateful for, starting with the patience of our customers, the resolve of our MLGW crews and staff and the support of our mutual-aid partners,” said Jerry R. Collins, Jr., MLGW president and chief executive officer.

“There was a lot of damage to trees, homes, utility poles and power lines. It was a painstaking process but we were prepared and committed to get the job done and we did – safely, efficiently and effectively.”

MLGW is the largest three-service public power utility in the nation, serving more than 420,000 customers in Memphis and Shelby County with some of the lowest combined rates in the U.S.