News

Actions

Neighborhoods dark as third-largest restoration effort continues

Posted at 11:23 PM, Jul 01, 2012
and last updated 2012-07-01 23:23:55-04

RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR)--Dominion Virginia Power said that the outages from weekend storms have created the third-largest restoration effort in the company's history, and the only non-hurricane event in the top five.

Phil Warner lives in south Richmond, near Pony Pasture.  Whenever a big storm hits Richmond, Warner practically expects the electricity to go out at his home.

“We’re usually one of the first to go out and one of the last to come back on,” says Warner.

Dominion is calling this weekend’s storm the worst in company history that was not categorized as a hurricane. 

Dominion expects to restore power to the majority of customers that lost it sometime this week. In a media call on Sunday, Dominion said they expect to restore service by Tuesday night for 80-85 percent of customers. They said that 90-95 percent of affected customers should have power by Thursday night and virtually all remaining customers by Saturday night.

In Willow Oaks, some of Warner’s neighbors living without power have called Dominion to find out why they are in the dark while houses only a few streets over have electricity.

Dominion representatives told them the way the circuits are set up in the area causes outages on one street while the next one over has power.

“They’ve got a lot of resources up North,” says Charles Hubbard about Dominion’s response.  “I feel for them.  They’re doing the best they can.”

Hubbard has been without power since Friday.  His kids run through a sprinkler to stay cool in the heat while the power is out.

Other people in the area have their own method.

“Hoping in the car and just riding around talking to your neighbors, checking on everybody,” says Clara Reed.