City of Pittsburgh and Duquesne Light officials say they are still working to repair the damage after a storm tore through the Pittsburgh region last week.
The storm caused widespread damage to homes, cars, and power lines. Some 325,000 Duquesne Light customers lost power at the outage’s peak, including 140,000 in the city alone.
Speaking to reporters Monday, Matt Neistein, Duquesne Light’s director of communications and brand, said the company had restored power to 96% of Pittsburgh customers. Across the company’s service area, 98% of customers have their power back, though thousands remain in the dark.
Duquesne Light expects the “vast majority” of customers will have power restored by 11 p.m. Tuesday, but Neistein warned that efforts to reconnect customers could be complicated by more storms forecast for Monday night.
Pittsburgh sustained heavy damage during the storm, delaying clean-up efforts. Duquesne Light replaced 300 power lines over the last six days — nearly a fifth of what the company usually replaces in a full year. Utility workers have also replaced nearly 250 transformers and 250,000 feet of wire.
“This was a storm of a scale we have never dealt with before,” Neistein said.
Duquesne Light and the city’s Department of Public Works are coordinating tree-removal efforts. By Monday morning, 17 road segments remained unpassable, out of the 120 made inaccessible by the storm last week.
About three traffic signals remain out citywide, down from 70 the morning of April 30. Intersections without traffic lights should be treated as a four-way stop. Public works officials also reminded residents to stay far away from potential hazards, like downed trees or wires, and areas marked off by caution tape.
As part of the storm response, Allegheny County’s delegation to the state legislature announced plans to expand a state law barring price gouging in the aftermath of emergencies and natural disasters. Currently, the law prohibits businesses and contractors from jacking up the cost of goods and services only after the governor declares a statewide emergency. The new proposal would expand the legislation to bar price increases during emergencies declared by local governing bodies, like municipalities or counties.
State Sen. Lindsey Williams, one of the bill’s sponsors, circulated a memo Monday urging her colleagues to close what she called a “critical loophole” in state law.
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey echoed her call, and said the current law “leaves our residents without any means to seek justice” in circumstances like those the city currently faces.
“Our constituents who face hardship in the wake of these emergencies don't care who declared the emergency. They need help,” he said. “None of our residents should be forced to pay jacked-up prices that force them to choose between keeping their lights on, feeding their families, or making the repairs they need for recovery.”
Gainey and Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato declared states of emergency following the storm, to allow for maximum legal flexibility during recovery efforts.
Over the weekend, officials began to hear anecdotal reports of contractors asking “extraordinarily high rate” quotes for restoration services, said Deputy Mayor Jake Pawlak, adding that additional language would protect consumers.
Though officials have made progress on cleanup efforts, full restoration is expected to take more time.
“Even when our power has been fully restored, our recovery will not be complete. We will have to engage in repairs of our facilities and cleanups on our roadways and parks,” Gainey said.
The city and county are working with the Red Cross and the disaster response organization Team Rubicon to help residents recover. City residents can call 211 to request an assessment.
Officials are also bracing to help those who lost food due to the power outages. The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank expects a 25% surge in demand as families seek to restock their fridges. Residents who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) assistance can also receive assistance to replace destroyed food. Gainey said the deadline to apply for replacement benefits has been extended to May 30, but recipients are encouraged to file their requests as soon as possible.
Downed or low wires or other dangerous conditions should be reported to Duquesne Light at 888-393-7000. For non-emergencies, city residents can also call 311 or 412-255-2621.
Find more storm recovery resources here.
