November Winter Storm Update

AKRON, Ohio, Nov. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) utilities continue restoration efforts for customers who have lost power as a result of the winter storm that moved through the company's service territory on Thursday, November 15.  Service has been restored to more than 203,000 of the 248,000 customers across FirstEnergy's six-state service territory who lost power as a result of the storm.

The company's utilities most affected by accumulating ice, wet snow and brisk winds include Ohio Edison in eastern Ohio and West Penn Power and Penn Power in western Pennsylvania.

Downed trees, broken branches and road closures continue to hamper crews' efforts to access areas with damage to make repairs to broken poles and downed wires.  An additional 500 linemen are being deployed today to assist the restoration effort, with most headed to the hardest hit areas in Pennsylvania.

Current company updates include:

• West Penn Power – Crews are making repairs to about 24,000 customers who remain without power. Approximately 37,000 customers who lost power earlier due to the weather have been restored. Service is expected to be restored to more than half of currently affected customers today. Restoration is currently set at 11:30 p.m. tomorrow for some of the hardest hit areas around Butler, Armstrong and Clarion counties.
• Penn Power – Work is ongoing to restore power to 6,200 customers. Overall, since the storm began, service has been restored to approximately 26,000 Penn Power customers. Many affected customers will have power restored today, and nearly all customers should be restored by late Sunday evening.
• Ohio Edison – Currently, about 3,200 are without power as a result of the weather. Approximately 63,000 customers who lost power earlier due to the weather have been restored. Many affected customers will have power restored today, and nearly all customers should be restored by late Sunday evening.

For updated information on the company's current outages, FirstEnergy's storm restoration process and tips for staying safe, visit the 24/7 Power Center at www.firstenergycorp.com/outages. 

As the ice melts, more trees and limbs are falling, creating additional outages.  Customers who are without power are encouraged to call 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877) to report their outage or click the "Report Outage" link on www.firstenergycorp.com.  Customers should immediately report downed wires to their utility or their local police or fire department.  Customers should never go near a downed power line, even if they think it is no longer carrying electricity.  Extra caution should be exercised in areas where downed wires may be tangled in downed tree branches or other debris.

Connect with FirstEnergy companies online at www.firstenergycorp.com, on Twitter at @OhioEdison, @IlluminatingCo, @ToledoEdison, @Penn_Power, @W_Penn_Power,  @MonPowerWV, @Penelec, or @PotomacEdison, or on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/OhioEdison, www.Facebook.com/ToledoEdison, www.Facebook.com/IlluminatingCo, www.Facebook.com/PennPower, www.Facebook.com/WestPennPower, www.facebook.com/PenelecElectric, www.facebook.com/PotomacEdison, www.facebook.com/MonPowerWV.

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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.