FINAL UPDATE from AEP from Weekend Storm Recovery

Editor’s Note:  WMUN and WLBC Radio News have been providing updates all weekend on various platforms, including Facebook and more – please Follow Facebook.com/WMUNradio, as well as this Page for various reports – as well as out Radio broadcasts on Woof Boom Radio.

With crews working in windy conditions throughout the day Saturday, Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) has restored service to more than 80% of customers affected by the day’s severe storms and strong wind gusts. As of 9:30 a.m., fewer than 2,000 customers remain without power as crews continue to work to restore power.
Three tornados struck areas where the most damaged occurred.  Harlan, in northeast Allen County, was hit by two tornadoes just before midnight Friday. The National Weather Service (NWS) reported the first tornado was classified as an EF2, which carries winds of 111-to-135 mph winds. It caused extensive damage along a 7.6-mile path. The second, weaker tornado struck about 10 minutes later with winds of up to 75 mph.  An EF1 tornado with winds of 110 mph caused heavy damage in the Marion area, particularly in the community of Swayzee, about 8 miles southwest of Marion.  The strength of the storm could be measured in the damage it caused to I&M equipment: 128 broken or damaged poles and 295 individual spans of wires down.  I&M crews assisted by mutual aid personnel continue to restore power in those two areas and expect to have service restored by 11 p.m. tonight.  Most customers will be restored before their estimated restoration time. Customers can stay up
to date with their individual outage by:
• Monitoring the outage status at IndianaMichiganPower.com/App
• Signing up for text and email alerts on the app or at IndianaMichiganPower.com/Alerts
• Viewing outages and estimates at IndianaMichiganPower.com/OutageMap
Though the storms have subsided, I&M strongly encourages our neighbors across the region to
be caution of possible safety hazards. Do not touch downed power lines. Please keep in mind
that given the high winds and saturated grounds, trees and their limbs can still fall hours and
days after the storm.
For more safety tips visit IndianaMichiganPower.com/Weather
I&M thanks our customers for your patience as our crews work to restore power to all customers
as soon as safely possible.