MLGW restoration process moving forward despite Sunday morning storm
June 14, 2009
(June 14, 2009 - 11 a.m.) - Although MLGW crews made progress restoring outages overnight, storms that moved through early Sunday morning added about 10,000 outages to the number of MLGW customers without power. However, crews continue to restore power and as of 11 am, 53,000 customers remain without power. Since Friday, MLGW has restored power to more than 80,000 customers.
At this time, 63 electric crews and 50 tree trimming crews are on the streets working to restore power. The focus remains on restoring power to critical facilities and those circuits that represent the largest number of customers.
"Our crews are working as quickly and safely as possible and we continue to make significant progress," said Jerry Collins, MLGW President and CEO. "We have restored power to thousands of customers who had lost power, and we will continue to work around the clock until power is restored."
Damage from trees is the biggest outage culprit, causing downed electric lines.
NEW: Emergency Line:
Customers need to treat MLGW’s Emergency Line (528-4465) the same as you would 911. That number is only used to report life threatening utility emergencies such as wires down or gas leaks. MLGW is providing updates on www.mlgw.com, or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/mlgw.
Once you have reported your electrical outage to or left a callback number on the Outage Hotline (544-6500), please do not call and report it through 528-4465, 544-6549 or 820-7878.
Redundant reporting does not expedite service restoration.
Generator Safety:
If customers are using a generator, it must be properly ventilated for customer safety. Place generators outside, not in an enclosed area. It is not safe to place generators inside a garage, even if the garage door is left cracked or open.
Weatherheads
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 is the largest three-service public power utility in the nation, serving more than 420,000 customers in Memphis and Shelby County.
At this time, 63 electric crews and 50 tree trimming crews are on the streets working to restore power. The focus remains on restoring power to critical facilities and those circuits that represent the largest number of customers.
"Our crews are working as quickly and safely as possible and we continue to make significant progress," said Jerry Collins, MLGW President and CEO. "We have restored power to thousands of customers who had lost power, and we will continue to work around the clock until power is restored."
Damage from trees is the biggest outage culprit, causing downed electric lines.
NEW: Emergency Line:
Customers need to treat MLGW’s Emergency Line (528-4465) the same as you would 911. That number is only used to report life threatening utility emergencies such as wires down or gas leaks. MLGW is providing updates on www.mlgw.com, or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/mlgw.
Once you have reported your electrical outage to or left a callback number on the Outage Hotline (544-6500), please do not call and report it through 528-4465, 544-6549 or 820-7878.
Redundant reporting does not expedite service restoration.
Generator Safety:
If customers are using a generator, it must be properly ventilated for customer safety. Place generators outside, not in an enclosed area. It is not safe to place generators inside a garage, even if the garage door is left cracked or open.
Weatherheads
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 is the largest three-service public power utility in the nation, serving more than 420,000 customers in Memphis and Shelby County.