DP&L was still in ‘full storm mode’ Thursday, but had restored service to most of the 62,000 customers who lost it on Tuesday.
“I wouldn’t call it devastating,” DP&L Director of Corporate Communications Mary Ann Kabel said. “When it comes to storms and taking action, we’re built to address that. We call it ‘storm mode.’ We’re operating in that now.”
By 5 p.m. on Thursday, over 1,100 people in Montgomery County and 400 people in Preble County were still without power. Kabel estimated Thursday evening that the remaining powerless households would be reached by midnight, although there might still be some without power early Friday morning.
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Less than a thousand people in Montgomery and Preble counties who lost power Tuesday were still without power by Thursday evening, DP&L Director of Operations Tom Tatham said.
Communities west of Dayton were hit the hardest by Tuesday’s windstorm, stretching from Trotwood to the Indiana border.
Over 75 repair crews, comprised of 600 DP&L workers, were out repairing damaged wires and power lines Thursday. DP&L also had 150 people taking outage report calls in their resource center. The utility provider asked for assistance from surrounding states, such as Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia and Tennessee, to help with the repair efforts. Local municipalities were also involved.
By Thursday evening, assistance from Indiana and Kentucky was still being used, Kabel said.
PHOTOS: Wind damage tears down trees, more across area
DP&L extended the hours of their two ice distribution centers on Thursday, and they will keep them open Friday as well. The utility provider is giving away ice from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Trotwood Fire Station, 5469 Little Richmond Rd, as well as in Camden at the roadside rest station across the street from Dollar General, 6775 North Main Street.
Volunteers at the Trotwood site said that a truck with 3,000 seven-pound bags of ice came on Wednesday afternoon, when the ice center opened. In less than six hours, nearly 1,400 bags had been given away. Another 3,000 bags have been ordered for the location.
Red Cross has been involved in the area’s recovery efforts as well, providing daytime shelter at Jefferson Twp.’s Blairwood Elementary School.
MORE: Shelter re-opens for Jefferson Twp. residents without power
The school’s gym is being used as a ‘cooling center,’ where those without power can snack, hydrate, and use electrical outlets to charge their tech devices. While the school is not air conditioned, there are fans in all corners of the gym to keep air circulating. 11 people have used the cooling center since Wednesday, Red Cross Mass Care Region Leader Carolyn Burns said Thursday afternoon.
“With the fans on, it’s probably cooler than if they were sitting at home in a closed-up house,” Burns said. “Plus we’ve got electricity, and we’ve got ice and water.”
Jefferson Twp. local schools superintendent Richard Gates said that the school will “stay open, day and night, for as long as it takes, to help the residents of Jefferson Township.”
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