Officials with Duquesne Light and the city of Pittsburgh said Thursday afternoon that they’re making progress, but still working on responding to the storm that slammed Pittsburgh and surrounding areas Tuesday night.
Duquesne Light spokesperson Matt Neistein said the company has restored power to more than 200,000 out of the 325,000 customers who lost power at the outage’s peak. He said the company’s Wednesday estimate that it would take between 5 to 7 days to restore electricity across the region is still accurate.
“We are operating all hands on deck around the clock to clear downed wires and trees and restore power to our entire service area,” he said.
Duquesne Light has brought in crews from eastern Pennsylvania and the state of Indiana to help, Neistein said. The additional storm rolling in Thursday afternoon may delay the timetable for repairs, he noted, but once that system clears the area, officials should be able to offer an updated estimate for the return of service.
“Hopefully, after this storm, we don’t see too much damage tonight, and we can keep progressing on the line that we’ve been on,” he said.
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey encouraged Pittsburghers to stay far away from any downed power lines.
“Please be cautious of every downed wire that’s out there,” Gainey said. “Please don’t take wires, caution red tape, and barricades into your own hands. Leave them right there, Don’t touch any of them.”
Gainey declared a state of emergency for the city Wednesday night, which allows more legal flexibility to respond to the storm damage and expedite recovery efforts. On Thursday he urged Pittsburghers to stay safe and avoid speeding on roads where signals may be out.
Public Safety Director Lee Schmidt said the damage had hit across all areas of the city, making repairs more difficult.
“Typically, a storm comes in, it'll hit south, north, east, west – this one is very much widespread across the city,” he said.
Resources are available for those impacted, Gainey emphasized. City recreation centers and senior centers will be open late, and the city’s EMS teams are adding additional crews to help deliver oxygen to those whose at-home oxygen supplies have been interrupted.
Department of Public Works Director Chris Hornstein said that residents can drop off debris and yard waste for free at several sites that will be open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. over the weekend. Food waste can be bagged and picked up at the curb, he noted, though residents should avoid making their trash bags or containers too heavy.
Public Safety Director Lee Schmidt said people in need of food, especially those who utilize SNAP benefits and had to throw away their expired food, should call 211 for assistance.
