Gahanna, Ohio(Sept. 19, 2008) –Just over 100,000 AEP Ohio customers remain without power, as of 4 p.m. today. Following the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, nearly 700,000 customers were without power at the height of the storm. To date, approximately 85 percent of customers affected have been restored.

Customers are asked to contact AEP Ohio if they notice power to their neighbor has been restored, yet they remain without service. This could indicate that the customer has an individual problem to their home or business.

AEP Ohio cannot connect power to any home or business where there is damage to the service entrance. The service entrance is the area located 1) at the meter, 2) between the meter and the home’s electrical panel, or 3) the location where AEP Ohio’s cable connects to the home/business owner’s cable. Customers need to have a qualified electrician repair this damage before power can be restored to the home or business.

Ohio Power customers own and are responsible for the entire electric service entrance and the wiring inside it, as well as the breaker or fuse box on the inside of the house. With underground service, the customer’s responsibility starts at the meter box. Columbus Southern Power customers also are responsible for this equipment with the exception of the meter box, which is owned by CSP. To learn more, customers may visit this website: http://www.aepohio.com/news/outages/restorationready.asp.
 
Tree crews work closely with line repair crews to clear storm debris so that restoration efforts can proceed. The need to remove large trees delays restoration work. Crews cut limbs only to the extent required to install lines.

Customers need to know that AEP Ohio or its contractors do not remove storm debris and will move the debris only if it is necessary to facilitate the restoration effort. Crews stopping to remove debris would significantly increase the amount of time required to restore service to all customers.

AEP Ohio is working hard to restore power as quickly and safely as possible and understand customers´ concerns over when their power will be restored. The company appreciates the ongoing patience of its customers.
 
Important Safety Message:
Never touch a downed utility wire, no matter how harmless it looks. It can be difficult to distinguish between a power line and a cable or telephone line. All downed lines should be considered energized and dangerous. And don’t touch anything in contact with the line, such as trees, fences or puddles of water, since they can conduct electricity. Keep children and pets away from this potential hazard. Call AEP Ohio to report any downed lines or equipment.

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.