West Virginia (WOAY) Thousands of Appalachian Power crews, contractors, and mutual aid workers are on standby as winter storm moves across the region.
The company requested thousands of additional personnel from as far away as Wisconsin to help restore power once conditions allow.
The massive storm, stretching nearly 2,000 miles wide, is forecast to bring up to eight inches of heavy, wet snow, sleet, and as much as a half-inch of ice before moving east late Sunday.
The ice could weigh down power lines and knock down trees, leading to outages for homes and businesses.
Strong winds are also a factor.
Gusts up to 45 miles per hour on Monday could delay restoration efforts in parts of Virginia, since crews are unable to work aloft when winds exceed 30 miles per hour.
Appalachian Power is encouraging customers to sign up for outage alerts now to receive real-time updates and estimated restoration times.
Customers can also track outages using the company’s online outage map.
As always, safety is key.
Stay away from downed power lines, have an emergency kit ready, and use generators only outdoors and away from doors and windows.
Anyone relying on electricity for medical equipment should review their emergency plan ahead of the storm.
Check out the latest at AppalachianPower.com.
