MLGW crews working 24/7 to restore power

Full restoration will take more than a week

(May 29, 2017- 6 p.m.) – Work continues this evening as MLGW restores power to customers following straight line winds which knocked out as many as 188,000 customers on Saturday. Nearly 96,000 customers have regained power and about 92,000 customers are still without power currently. Full restoration will take more than a week.

In addition to MLGW crews who are working 24/7, the utility has an additional 70 crews from East Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina and Ohio making repairs.

Unlike many smaller storm events, MLGW is unable to provide an estimated time of restoration for many customers. This is due to the extent of Saturday’s damage and Sunday’s rain accumulation of more than an inch and a half which further complicated efforts.

Customers can use outage tools, such as MLGW’s app (Android users can go to ow.ly/SL0TB and iPhone users can go to ow.ly/LpE9Y) for updates.  The web-based outage map on mlgw.com is also available, though some have reported issues with the online tool that are currently being investigated.

Customers are urged to make MLGW aware of their outage by calling 1-800-268-8648. As crews work to make the biggest impact by restoring major circuits, smaller, more localized outages may go undetected. Reporting outages ensures the utility can make repairs as soon as possible.

In the meantime, MLGW is suspending disconnects. The utility continues to thank customers for their patience as work continues to restore power and reminds customers to consider any downed wire to be dangerous and to not touch.

Important MLGW contact information for customers:

•  Outage Reporting: 1-800-268-8648 or 544-6500

•  Emergency: 528-4465 (This number should be treated like 911. Gas leaks, electrical lines down.)

•  Customer Care Center: 820-7878