ComEd Restores Power to 90 Percent of Customers Impacted by Monday’s Severe Storms

Efforts continue to fully restore service to all customers after 10 tornadoes and 100 mph winds hit the area on Monday evening.

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ComEd crews have successfully restored power to more than 387,000 customers, accounting for over 90 percent of the more than 430,000 customers affected by the storms on Monday evening. These storms caused extensive damage throughout the ComEd service area, spanning northern Illinois, with the National Weather Service confirming 10 tornadoes and winds exceeding 100 mph.

As of 3:00 p.m. today, approximately 41,000 customers remain without power. ComEd crews, with support from utility partners called into the region to assist with the response, continue to work around the clock on restorations, focusing on hardest hit areas, including the South region, to restore all remaining customers. The company anticipates that the vast majority of these customers will have power restored by the end of the day on Friday, July 19. Areas with severe damage requiring extensive repairs may take longer to restore.

“Following a series of destructive storms and several confirmed tornadoes on Monday evening, ComEd has dispatched thousands of crew members who are working around the clock to bring all customers back to service safely, and as quickly as possible,” said Dave Perez, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of ComEd. “As we continue to restore outages, the safety of our customers and crews remains priority. We want to thank our customers for their continued patience as we work diligently and appreciate the work of our crews and counterparts from out of state who are working to make a full restoration this week.”

Over 3,000 ComEd crews, along with mutual assistance personnel from Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Canada, are working tirelessly around the clock to restore power safely and swiftly. ComEd is prioritizing repairs that will restore power to the largest number of customers and critical services, such as hospitals, senior centers, law enforcement, and fire departments. Due to the significant damage from the storms, including lane closures on major interstates and other infrastructure impacts, ComEd is in close coordination with community leaders and local agencies to expedite repairs.

The frequency and intensity of severe weather, influenced by climate change, have been increasing in the area and across the country. In response, ComEd has invested in power grid upgrades over the past few years. These improvements have enhanced systemwide reliability by 70 percent, helped customers avoid over 21.7 million outages, and saved more than $3.3 billion in outage-related costs.

The following tips and information encourage customers to stay safe following severe weather:

• If you encounter a downed power line, immediately call ComEd at 1-800-EDISON-1 (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.

Customers can sign up for Outage Alerts at ComEd.com/Alerts or text OUT to 26633 to report their outage and receive restoration information about when their power may be restored.

ComEd also offers a mobile app for iPhone® and Android® smartphones that gives customers the ability to report power outages and manage their accounts. In addition, customers can report outages through ComEd’s Facebook and Twitter pages.

ComEd is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NASDAQ: EXC), a Fortune 200 energy company with approximately 10 million electricity and natural gas customers – the largest number of customers in the U.S. ComEd powers the lives of more than 4 million customers across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state’s population. For more information visit ComEd.com and connect with the company on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.