UPDATE: Delmarva Slowly Reconnects to Power Grid

UPDATE: Only a few hundred homes remain without power after crews worked tirelessly over the last several days to restore power to Delmarva following Winter Storm Hernando. 

Delaware Electric Cooperative (DEC) says they restored power to more than 16,000 homes on Tuesday, and an additional 5,000 homes overnight going into Wednesday. As of this morning, officials say power has been restored to 95 percent of their customers, and they hope to have full restoration by Thursday, Feb. 26. DEC crews are working alongside crews from co-ops in Rappahannock, Mecklenburg, Northern Neck, as well as local contractors and tree trimmers working to restore power to 2,800 remaining homes in Kent and Sussex counties.

As of 4:00 a.m. on Wednesday, Choptank Electric Cooperative (CEC) says they had completed all restoration efforts. In total, CEC crews restored power for more than 22,000 members.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Delmarva Power said they had restored power to more than 96 percent of impacted customers. Approximately 1,100 customers in Sussex County and less than 50 customers in Maryland remain without power. All remaining customers are expected to be restored by 11:00 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26. They are working alongside 400 additional personnel responding to support restoration efforts from sister Exelon companies, Baltimore Gas & Electric and PECO.

UPDATE: Thousands of residents have been reconnected to power after treacherous conditions wrecked electricity lines across the peninsula.

Delaware Electric Cooperative (DEC) has been hard at work, reconnecting more than 60,000 homes to power throughout the storm and into Tuesday. As of midday Tuesday, more crews from Virginia were expected to arrive to provide additional help with restoration.

“Our crews and engineers say damage is more extensive than initially thought, especially in the most rural parts of our service territory,” DEC said on social media. “This means restoration may take longer than we had hoped [Monday] evening.”

As of 4:30 p.m., Choptank Electric Cooperative (CEC) says they have approximately 1,000 members still without power, despite restoring power to nearly 21,000 members over the past two days. Crews and more than 50 linemen from other co-ops and utilities will continue throughout the night to repair damage, replace poles and mend lines until every member is connected.

Delmarva Power says they have also made significant headway in reconnecting customers to electricity. As of 3:00 p.m., only 7,000 customers remained without service — a sharp jump from the company’s estimated 84,000 customers impacted. The most heavily impacted counties were Sussex County in Delaware, and Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester counties in Maryland.

Officials say some customers in the most heavily damaged areas could require work into Thursday. Estimated restoration times will continue to be reviewed and updated as additional damage is assessed and work is performed. Customers should continue to check the company’s website and mobile app for the latest estimated restoration time for their outage.

This update was published on Feb. 24 at 6:10 p.m.

UPDATE: While many have been reconnected to their electricity, thousands across Delmarva are still without power.

As of 2:30 p.m., Delaware Electric Cooperative (DEC) says they have restored power to 13,000 homes since beginning repair operations. Crews from Rappahannock Electric Cooperative in Virginia will be dispatched to assist with DEC’s restoration efforts. Officials do not currently have updates on restoration times.

As of 3:00 p.m., officials with Choptank Electric Cooperative (CEC) report having restored power to more than 10,000 members, with 11,400 still waiting for electricity. The company says they to have extended outages in Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester Counties through Tuesday, and possibly into Wednesday.

“This historic snowfall has many roads closed still, making it difficult for our crews to reach some of the damage,” CEC said on social media. “Linemen are having to cut fallen trees to access powerlines, and many trees are continuing to fall as they are working, making their jobs even more dangerous and time consuming.”

Additional crews are reportedly on the way to support CEC’s restoration efforts.

Delmarva Power activated its Emergency Response Operation earlier today. The company reports restoring power to more than 40,000 customers, with over 25,000 remaining without power. Over 1100 active outages are still awaiting maintenance.

This update was published on Feb. 23 at 4:45 p.m. 

DELMARVA – Thousands across Delmarva are without power after a snowstorm pummeled the peninsula over the weekend.

Delaware Electric Cooperative (DEC) is reporting approximately 54,000 homes to be without power as of Monday morning. Employees have been working overnight in poor conditions to identify issues, downed trees and damaged equipment. The company says information gathered will be relayed to dispatchers so line workers can continue to identify areas in need of repairs.

Full restoration may take days. Ten additional crews from Virginia are reportedly on their way to assist DEC. If you or another DEC customer lose power, report your outtage here.

Choptank Electric Cooperative says they have been able to restore power to 7,000 homes, but 15,000 others remain without power as of 8:00 a.m.

“We expect to have extended outages and have brought in outside crews to help remove trees and repair broken poles and downed lines as quickly as possible,” the company said on social media. “We haven’t seen a storm like this in over a decade, and our team greatly appreciates your patience and support as the linemen continue to brave these harsh conditions.”

Outages for CEC customers can be reported here, or you can call 1-800-410-4790.

As of 9:50 a.m., Delmarva Power is still working to restore electricity to over one thousand homes across the peninsula. The company reports nearly 35,000 customers were impacted by the storm. Delmarva Power customers can report outages and view the outage map, here.

This article was originally published on Feb. 23 at 9:54 a.m.