Approximately 9,800 customers are without power, as additional thunderstorm warnings continue

CHICAGO (July 1, 2019) - ComEd crews have restored power to more than 139,000 customers affected by severe storms with wind gusts up to 74 miles per hour, lightning and heavy rain that struck communities across ComEd's region on Sunday. Approximately 9,800 customers are currently experiencing power outages.

Before the storm hit, ComEd increased staffing levels and alerted contractor crews to make available a total of more than 400 crews, who continue to work around the clock to safely and efficiently restore service to all customers. In addition, other electric utilities in southern Illinois and Ohio have committed to send additional crews to assist the restoration effort. Based on similar storms, ComEd expects to have restored power to the vast majority of customers by late Monday night, with the hardest hit areas by Tuesday afternoon, pending any additional damage from storms.

"Crews worked throughout the night to restore power to our customers, and they will continue that effort until we've got every home and business back in service," said Terry Donnelly, president and COO of ComEd. "We know how disruptive power outages can be for our customers, especially on hot days, and we will stay vigilant as additional thunderstorm warnings continue for parts of our region today."  

ComEd has deployed community care vans and cooling buses to support customers in communities hit hardest by the storm, including Rockford, Ill., and Momence, Ill., in Kankakee County. Care van staff are distributing bottled water and providing phone charging stations and outage restoration times to customers who are experiencing outages. Care van 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.

When restoring customers, ComEd focuses first on critical services, such as first responders, hospitals and senior centers. The company then prioritizes work that will restore the greatest number of customers at a time.

ComEd offers the following tips and information for customers to stay safe following severe weather:

• If you encounter a downed power line, immediately call ComEd at 1-800-EDISON1 (1-800-334-7661) or go to ComEd.com to report the location. 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.

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 via the website at www.ComEd.com/report. Spanish-speaking customers should call 1-800-95-LUCES (1-800-955-8237). 

ComEd has introduced a mobile app for iPhone and Android® smart phones that gives customers the ability to report power outages and manage their accounts; download the app at www.ComEd.com/app. ComEd recently updated its security policy. As a result, customers may need to reset their password on their ComEd account.