AES crews will be working to restore power across the region throughout Saturday, according to company spokeswoman Mary Ann Kabel.
“We have more than 50 crews out right now and we’re calling in even more, along with assistance from the municipal and co-op utility providers to help with restoration efforts,” she said.
Kabel was unable to provide an estimate for when all services will be restored, noting the damage to power lines and other equipment caused by Friday’s strong winds and rain.
“What we try to do is first respond to the circuits that are effecting the largest number of customers so that we can bring as many people back on as possible, but other outages may be isolated and require more specialized repair, which often takes longer,” she said.
The total number of customers without power during this storm peaked at 125,000, Kabel said.
Some customers have been without power since Friday, as Kabel noted conditions on Friday evening inhibited crews from responding quickly.
“We can’t put a bucket truck up (to service power lines) when the wind is in excess of 20 mph; it’s just not safe for our crew members, so that kept progress held back,” she said, adding that once the winds died down, crews worked through the night Friday.
In Miami Twp., electricity was out at Austin Landing and all of the retailers were closed. The intersection at Ohio 741 and Austin Boulevard had no traffic lights working.
Hurricane Helene remnants hit the region on Friday, with damaging winds and heavy rain felling trees and utility poles and leaving tens of thousands of residents and businesses without power.
“If you come across an intersection with the traffic lights out, please stop at the intersection and treat it like a 4-way stop,” the Dayton Police Department said in a post to X — formerly known as Twitter on Saturday. “Work is being done to try to restore power but we do not have a timeline for when power will be back for all of the intersections currently without power.”
If you come across an intersection with the traffic lights out please stop at the intersection and treat it like a 4-way stop.
— Dayton Police Dept. (@DaytonPolice) September 28, 2024
Work is being done to try to restore power but we do not have a timeline for when power will be back for all of the intersections currently without power pic.twitter.com/F1eBoo2SoJ
Credit: Marshall Gorby
Credit: Marshall Gorby
“Public Works crews have cleared debris from all reported road blocks,” the City of Centerville said in a Facebook post Friday night. “Trucks are now going street by street to ensure all roads are open and passable. If yours is not, let us know!”
Moraine Police Department said in a Facebook post last night that due to the downed power lines and hazards in the roadway from storms Friday night, they had experienced an increase in call volumes.
Our dedicated Police, Fire, and Public Service crews are working tirelessly to clear roads of debris, respond to emergency calls and ensure public safety.” the Kettering Police Department said on their social media page last night.
The City of Vandalia Division of Fire said in a Facebook post Friday they had been responding to several trees down in roadway, trees on houses, trees on wires, wires down and poles.
“One note, damage to a transformer in Victory Park (Cyril and Clyde areas) has caused transformer oil to be spilled into the grass and on walking paths,” the division of fire’s post continued. “Parks and Recreation will be closing the park off as soon as it is safe for the maintenance staff to get out in the a.m.”
In Warren County, community events like the Ohio Renaissance Festival are closed for the day due to power outages. Special tickets for today will be refunded with tickets from today valid for tomorrow or Oct. 19, 20, 26 and 27.
No one was injured Friday in the Lakota School District after a school bus was trapped by powerlines on McCauley Road.
A tree had fallen, trapping the bus in the powerlines, according to West Chester Twp. police
Police said Duke Energy crews were able to free the bus and allow it to continue on its route.
The high wind warning activated the Ohio Emergency Management Agency’s Ohio Traveler Alert System for the first time since it was launched in May. High-profile vehicles, such as a truck, van or SUV, are more prone to being pushed out of lanes or flipping in high winds. Also, motorists must watch for blowing objects.
The high wind warning in effect through 10 p.m. was canceled early, around 6:30 p.m., and the region was under a wind advisory until 10 p.m., which also was canceled early, around 8:45 p.m., as the wind weakened over the evening hours.