Dayton resident Nikki Perdue said it has been a “horrible” waiting game for the power to come back on.
She said she’s worried about her grandson, who was born prematurely and needs oxygen. The last of his mother’s milk is frozen and at risk of spoiling.
“He’s 8 months old, on oxygen, having no power, they’re just pretty much riding around in a car for hours,” she said. “It’s scary.”
The power company now has 1,400 total crews working around the clock to restore electricity, said Mary Ann Kabel, spokeswoman.
Severe weather initially knocked out power to an estimated 70,000 DP&L customers, but more than half had their electric service restored within about 36 hours.
MORE: Tales from the storms: ‘Our whole house is ruined’
“There is a lot of damage out there, and there’s a lot of damage to our poles,” said Kabel. “But we’ve made such great progress.”
Crews are focused on critical restorations and those in which they can restore power to multiple people at one time, Kabel said.
Some officials say Monday’s storm was the worst weather event to hit the Dayton region since it was battered by Hurricane Ike in 2008. Kabel said it ranks right behind right November’s ice storm on DP&L’s list of Top 10 worst events.
Power outages aren’t just inconvenient — they can be dangerous, if people come into contact with downed lines, the weather gets too hot or if people’s food spoils.
Trotwood City Manager Quincy Pope said, “We still have power lines down. We’re working with Dayton Power & Light, a coordinated effort.”
In some areas, virtually every electrical pole was knocked down or disrupted by tornadoes and strong winds. Some poles snapped, while others were pushed over and now lean at an angle, with lines dangling or caught in tree limbs.
Dayton resident Bonnie Jackson said she’s had trouble sleeping with her power out because it gets too hot and she gets sweaty and uncomfortable.
“I’m back out here with a towel just wiping down, it’s been horrible,” she said.
To avoid heat-related illness, people are encouraged to take cool showers or baths or visit public places with air conditioning available. Perishable foods that show signs of spoiling should be thrown out.
Crews focus on repairing lines that serve large numbers of customers, and once major repairs are complete, crews move on to work on service lines to individual homes and smaller groups of customers, officials said.
“Utilities will generally start big and work their way down to individual customers,” said Matt Schilling, a spokesman with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.
Ohio’s utility companies must have emergency restoration plans in place for severe weather scenarios, and are asked to identify “critical customers,” who have special needs for electricity like breathing machines and need service restored as soon as possible, Schilling said.
Barbara Delgrosso, 61, lives in an apartment on Kelly Avenue, which was one of the hardest-hit streets in Dayton.
In that area, garages, sheds and other structures lie in ruins, while some homes and apartment buildings are missing roofs, upstairs rooms or have holes punched in the side.
Delgrosso said she was told her power could be out for weeks. She said she can’t live in those conditions so she’s going to stay with her mother.
She said her neighbors are “hanging in there,” but it’s been a trying experience.
Wastewater into river
Wastewater continued to flow Wednesday directly into the Stillwater River due to two Montgomery County sewer system lift stations that lost power after being pummeled by a tornado.
Had the wastewater not been redirected into the river, the result would have been sewer backups in area homes and businesses resulting in more problems, said Brianna Wooten, the county’s communications director.
“Then you have an additional public health and sewer backup crisis on top of a water crisis or an outage crisis,” she said.
Power crews were able to reach the lift station Wednesday to remove downed lines. The county is currently clearing debris and will assess the structures.
The Ohio EPA was notified of the bypass. Public Health – Dayton & Montgomery County issued an advisory Tuesday to not enter the Stillwater River nor the Great Miami River downstream due to the increased health risks associated with coming into contact with wastewater.
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