WEST VIRGINIA (LOOTPRESS) – As of Wednesday evening, Appalachian Power has restored electricity to nearly 90% of the 282,000 customers who lost power during Hurricane Helene, which struck on Friday.
Approximately 37,350 customers remain without power, as the utility company continues its extensive repair efforts in Southwest Virginia, Southern West Virginia, and Northeast Tennessee.
An army of 7,360 workers, including crews from 30 states as far as Nebraska, are on the ground rebuilding the energy grid. Helicopter patrols are also assisting by identifying damage in remote areas.
The crews have been working tirelessly around the clock to restore power safely and efficiently. Significant progress has been made, though some areas with challenging access and flooding are still without service.
Hurricane Helene caused widespread damage across Appalachian Power’s service area, with thousands of downed trees and critical infrastructure destruction.
Crews have completed over 80% of damage assessments, identifying 2,500 spans of fallen wire, 585 broken poles, 315 damaged crossarms, and 150 destroyed transformers.
The storm also took down nearly 80 transmission lines, high-voltage lines that deliver bulk power to substations, and impacted 68 substations, all of which have now been repaired.
More than 1,880 repair sites across Southern Virginia, Southern West Virginia, and Northeast Tennessee require attention.
Appalachian Power reports that 29,200 customers in Virginia, over 8,000 in West Virginia, and around 150 in Tennessee are still without power.
Appalachian Power was well-prepared for the storm, mobilizing employees and business partners in advance.
Thousands of workers, including mutual aid crews from across the country, are dedicated to rebuilding the grid in some of the hardest-hit areas, including Bluefield, Damascus, Grundy, Lebanon, Tazewell, and more.
As crews complete repairs in one area, they are being redirected to assist other regions still in need.
Due to the extensive damage in certain locations, Appalachian Power has provided updated restoration estimates:
Christiansburg and Grundy, Va.: Wednesday, Oct. 2, by 6 p.m. (some outages may extend into Thursday)
Kingsport, Tenn.: Wednesday, Oct. 2, by 11 p.m.
Clintwood, Lebanon, and Tazewell, Va.: Wednesday, Oct. 2, by 11 p.m. (some outages may extend into Thursday)
Glen Lyn, Va.: Thursday, Oct. 3, by 6 p.m.
Bluefield, W.Va., and various Virginia areas: Thursday, Oct. 3, by 11 p.m.
In isolated cases requiring extensive repairs, power restoration may take longer.
Customers are encouraged to check Appalachian Power’s online outage map or sign up for outage alerts for real-time updates.
The weather remains favorable for continued restoration efforts. However, downed trees and flooding could still slow progress in some areas.
