FirstEnergy Receives Industry Awards for Ohio Storm Restoration Effort and Assistance with Hurricanes Helene and Milton
AKRON, Ohio, Feb. 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE:FE) received an Emergency Recovery Award from the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) in recognition of its outstanding response in restoring power to hundreds of thousands of customers in northeast Ohio following a historic weather event in August 2024 that brought severe thunderstorms, wind and tornadoes.
The company also received the Emergency Assistance Award from EEI for its support last fall with the restoration efforts following Hurricanes Helene and Milton. This is the 20th consecutive year FirstEnergy has been recognized by EEI for its storm response efforts.
Wade Smith, President, FirstEnergy Utilities: "I am proud of the dedicated FirstEnergy employees who worked tirelessly in the wake of an extreme weather event in northeast Ohio as well as our crews who traveled south to assist with hurricane restoration efforts. These were incredibly difficult, challenging working conditions, and our employees performed safely in restoring power to hundreds of thousands of impacted customers."
On Aug. 6, FirstEnergy experienced the most impactful storm to hit its northeast Ohio service territory since 1993. The area experienced heavy rain and thunderstorms with wind gusts over 80 miles per hour, five tornadoes with winds up to 110 miles per hour, and a wide area of damaging straight-line winds of 70-90 miles per hour, known as a macroburst, that struck roughly 225 square miles in Cuyahoga, Lake and Geauga counties.
Watch a video recap of FirstEnergy's storm restoration efforts during the historic Aug. 6 storm on FirstEnergy's YouTube channel.
More than 627,700 customers across FirstEnergy's footprint in Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland and New Jersey lost power due to the storms, and approximately 497,500 of those were in Ohio. The damage was widespread, consisting of hundreds of broken poles and crossarms, downed power lines, and fallen trees and debris blocking road access.
By Aug. 11, FirstEnergy had restored power to 94% of the customers who had lost power. Following the company's Emergency Response Plan, thousands of the company's line workers, hazard responders, forestry crews, contractors and safety and support personnel collectively worked more than 384,000 man-hours in the wake of the storm, replacing nearly 500 poles, 231 transformers and 75 miles of wire.
In September and October, FirstEnergy sent approximately 645 line workers and 300 trucks to assist other electric companies with restoration efforts in the Carolinas, Florida, Georgia and Virginia following Hurricanes Helene and Milton. FirstEnergy crews logged more than 150,000 man-hours and navigated hazardous conditions in unfamiliar areas as they worked to help safely restore service in the wake of the devastating storms.
Photos and video clips from FirstEnergy's mutual aid support following Hurricanes Helene and Milton can be viewed/downloaded here.
EEI presents awards twice annually to member companies for extraordinary power restoration efforts or assistance to other electric companies after service disruptions caused by weather conditions and other natural events. The winners were chosen by a panel of judges following an international nomination process, and the awards were presented during EEI's winter Board of Directors and CEO meeting.
EEI Interim President and CEO Pat Vincent-Collawn: "EEI commends FirstEnergy for its efforts to respond safely and efficiently to the aftermath of the severe weather event in Ohio. We also applaud FirstEnergy for aiding neighboring electric companies in their times of need. FirstEnergy and its storm response team are extremely deserving of these well-earned emergency recovery and assistance awards."
EEI is the association that represents all U.S. investor-owned electric companies. Members provide electricity for 220 million Americans and operate in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. As a whole, the electric power industry supports more than seven million jobs in communities across the United States. In addition to U.S. members, EEI has more than 65 international electric companies, with operations in more than 90 countries, as International Members, and hundreds of industry suppliers and related organizations as Associate Members.
FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. The company's transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Follow FirstEnergy on X @FirstEnergyCorp or online at firstenergycorp.com.
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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.