AEP says customers should prepare for power to be out for multiple days after high winds
High winds on Saturday continue to knock out power to a growing number of customers across Columbus, Franklin County and the state, including large outages in specific areas of Franklin and Delaware counties with of Greater Columbus remains under a high-wind warning through 8 p.m.
AEP said more than 125,000 customers are currently without power, mainly in the northeast, central, southern and southeast parts of the state as of about 7:15 p.m.
"Restoration efforts have been extremely limited and hampered for much of the afternoon because of the severity of the winds which have prevented lineworkers from using buckets and other equipment that aid in speedier restoration. As winds subside, crews will continue to work throughout the night to restore power and assess the damage as quickly as safely possible," AEP said in a statement on it's website. "Due to the extent of the damage, restoration efforts are expected to continue for several days — and customers should prepare for a multi-day outage."
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The highest wind gust so far Saturday at John Glenn Columbus International Airport was 56 mph at 3:10 p.m., said Brian Coniglio, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Wilmington in southwest Ohio. Newark-Heath Airport recorded a gust of 62 mph at 3:04 p.m., he said.
Coniglio said Greater Columbus residents should expect more strong gusts through 8 p.m., when winds will begin to die down.
mferench@dispatch.com
@MarkFerenchik
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: AEP says customers should prepare for power to be out for multiple days
