Feb 26, 2019 3 min read

Despite the wind speed having died down to a gentle 7 mph, the memory of Sunday’s windstorm lingered across the region Tuesday afternoon, with at least 4,500 residents in Washington County still without power.

While the bulk of West Penn Power customers who had lost electrical service Sunday had it restored by Tuesday, the utility was still trying to reach customers who were without power in more isolated areas, or were part of small-scale outages.

“It’s a long, long slog,” said Todd Meyers, a spokesman for West Penn Power. While acknowledging that “people get frustrated,” particularly at the prospect that they may be without power for another couple of days, “we’re moving at a deliberate, safe pace.”

The spotty nature of the lingering outages was apparent in a tally released by West Penn Power Tuesday morning. For instance, New Eagle and Dunlevy each had just one customer without power, while Amwell Township had 774, Canonsburg had 104 and Peters Township had 262. The estimated time that power will be restored is Saturday for some places, though Meyers said that could be adjusted and moved up as work proceeds.

“You may be (without power) until Saturday, but it doesn’t mean you’re going to be,” Meyers said.

Part of the reason the process is taking so long for some is West Penn Power has been unable to receive aid from other utilities since large portions of the Midwest and Northeast were also hit by the same storm. Meyers said West Penn Power has turned to independent contractors for help. Some assistance has come from as far away as Missouri, he added.

And while daytime temperatures have not been brutally cold over the last couple of days, unheated houses can be uncomfortable at best and pose a health risk at worst. For that reason, some communities have established warming centers since Sunday. For example, the fire station at 245 E. McMurray Road in Peters Township has been established as a warming center as long as power remains out for residents.

The Red Cross said on social media it was helping people across the region who’d been left without power. In Washington County, the group said it helped an adult from Bebout Road in Peters Township get temporary lodging.

Meanwhile, the storm has also made life busy for people who repair damaged roofs. Marc Nicolella of Nicolella Roofing in Washington reported they have been “overwhelmed” by calls since Sunday from owners of homes and businesses whose roofs were damaged, or whose gutters came loose.

Nicolella noted sometimes people don’t realize the extent of the damage to their homes until a day or two after a storm when they can get out and inspect it.

The storm also caused some residents of the West Alexander area to have low water pressure Monday night. Pumps used by the Ohio County Public Service District in West Virginia malfunctioned due to the storm, according to Mike Smith, a Donegal Township supervisor. Regular water pressure had been restored by Tuesday morning, he said.