GAHANNA, Ohio (Sept. 17, 2008) – – In the wake of the severe windstorm that left more than 650,000 customers without electricity at its peak, AEP Ohio knows its customers have questions about the processes and procedures the company follows to restore power during and after a major storm. 
 
In all outages, AEP Ohio works to restore power as safely and quickly as possible. However, outages that occur during storm events often are extended and can last for several days due to damage to all facilities located in the area hit by the storm.  In every storm restoration plan, we implement a basic process: 

• Hazards, such as fallen power lines, are attended to first.
• Then emergency facilities, such as fire and police stations, hospitals, and calls from 911 agencies, receive top priority.
• After these locations are restored, repair crews work on main lines, or circuits, that will restore the largest number of customers in the shortest period of time.  
• After main lines are restored, secondary power lines that serve smaller clusters of homes are repaired.
• Finally, lines that feed service drops to individual homes are repaired.

 
More than 3,000 employees and contractor resources are dedicated to the restoration efforts across the state. Often, AEP Ohio and contract line crews may have to wait for forestry crews to clear tree limbs and other debris before they can safely restore power to customers in that area.
 
During major storm events, AEP Ohio’s Customer Solutions Centers operate employ extra telephone lines and additional representatives to receive calls from customers. In addition, advanced telephone technologies allows customers to report an outage without speaking to a representative or customers can report their service interruption over the internet . These technologies also help us provide customers with status updates regarding the restoration effort.
           
Status of Restoration Efforts
Please see our list of affected areas and projected restoration times (PDF) on aepohio.com. These restoration times are estimates and subject to change. Also, for customers in central Ohio, please see our maps of affected areas and projected restoration times (PDF) also located on the company’s website. These maps are being provided to help customers gain a better understanding of when service to their area may be restored. Actual restoration times to specific addresses may vary significantly from the approximate area times provided.
           
AEP Ohio appreciates its customers’ understanding and patience as the repair crews continue their restoration work throughout the state of Ohio. 
 
Important Safety Information
Please look for additional important customer and safety messages on aepohio.com.
 
AEP Ohio provides electricity to nearly 1.5 million customers of major AEP subsidiaries Columbus Southern Power Company and Ohio Power Company in Ohio, and Wheeling Power Company in the northern panhandle of West Virginia. AEP Ohio is based in Gahanna, Ohio. The company serves all or part of 61 counties in Ohio and two in West Virginia.

American Electric Power is one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering electricity to more than 5 million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation’s largest generators of electricity, owning nearly 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system, a nearly 39,000-mile network that includes more 765 kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined. AEP’s transmission system directly or indirectly serves about 10 percent of the electricity demand in the Eastern Interconnection, the interconnected transmission system that covers 38 eastern and central U.S. states and eastern Canada, and approximately 11 percent of the electricity demand in ERCOT, the transmission system that covers much of Texas. AEP’s utility units operate as AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana and east Texas). AEP’s headquarters are in Columbus, Ohio.