More than 850,000 FirstEnergy customers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland were without power due to Hurricane Irene; electrical service restored to more than 400,000 customers, crews working to restore power to another 450,000

Rachel Carter

AKRON, Ohio , August 29, 2011 (press release) – As a result of Hurricane Irene, more than 850,000 FirstEnergy customers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland were without power. To date, electrical service has been restored to more than 400,000 customers.

Crews continue working to restore service to another 450,000 customers who remain without power as a result of the storm.

The current FirstEnergy outage totals by utility include:

Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L) – 380,000 customers
Metropolitan Edison (Met-Ed) – 70,000 customers

While crews are making progress, debris from downed trees and limbs and areas of heavy flooding are hampering restoration efforts. Many of these outages are isolated and will require a significant number of repairs to bring small numbers of customers back in service.

As debris from the storm is being cleared, customers are cautioned never to touch downed lines. Customers should always assume downed wires are carrying electricity and are reminded to keep their children and pets away from downed wires.

To report an outage, JCP&L and Met-Ed customers should call 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877), or 1-800-545-7738.

For updated information on hurricane restoration news, current outages, FirstEnergy's storm restoration process and tips for staying safe after a storm, go to www.firstenergycorp.com.

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