Crews working through the night and extreme weather to restore any customer outages

CHICAGO (Jan. 30, 2019) – As extreme cold continues through the evening and into tomorrow, more than 100 ComEd and contractor crews will remain at work to address any outages that result from the polar vortex.

ComEd crews worked through Tuesday night and Wednesday to restore service to more than 61,000 customers affected by the extreme cold weather in northern Illinois. Just over 280 customers are currently without power.

"Our crews have responded quickly to restore power during this historic weather event," said Terence R. Donnelly, president and chief operating officer, ComEd. "As the extremely cold temperatures continue, additional outages may occur this evening, and we are prepared to get our affected customers back in service as safely and quickly as possible."

Public safety is paramount during extreme cold. ComEd recommends that any customer who experiences an outage go to a heated location such as a community warming center until power is restored. Warming center locations appear on ComEd's mobile app and Outage Map, which customers also can use to easily find information on the location and size of outages and get estimated power restoration times.

To protect crews who are working in the extreme cold, the company is assigning multiple crews to restoration work that might normally take one crew, so that they can rotate and allow workers to warm up while restoring power as safely and quickly as possible.

ComEd encourages the public to take the following precautions:

• If a downed power line is spotted, immediately call ComEd at 1-800-EDISON1 (1-800-334-7661). Spanish-speaking customers should call 1-800-95-LUCES (1-800-955-8237).
• Never approach a downed power line. Always assume a power line is energized and extremely dangerous.
• In the event of an outage, do not approach ComEd crews working to restore power to ask about restoration times. Crews may be working on live electrical equipment and the perimeter of the work zone may be hazardous.
• Do not shovel snow onto ComEd equipment.
• Only operate generators outside and in well-ventilated areas. Gasoline-powered generators produce carbon monoxide, and the fumes can be deadly.

ComEd urges customers to contact the company immediately if they experience a power outage. Customers can text OUT to 26633 (COMED) to report an outage and receive restoration information, and can follow the company on Twitter @ComEd or on Facebook at Facebook.com/ComEd. Customers can also call 1-800 EDISON1 (1-800-334-7661), or report outages at www.ComEd.com/report. Spanish-speaking customers should call 1-800-95-LUCES (1-800-955-8237). ComEd has a mobile app for iPhone and Android® smart phones that allows customers to report power outages and manage their accounts; download the app at www.ComEd.com/app.