The derecho wind event that rolled through the state Monday afternoon hit the heart of our service territory, bringing with it 60-80 mph winds, lightning and hail that caused outages for more than 222,000 Alabama Power customers. 

Crews continued to make progress overnight Monday and by 3 p.m. Tuesday had restored power to 66 percent of affected customers. The company continues to work aggressively to restore service to all customers impacted by the storm.

By midnight Tuesday, we are projecting that 90 percent of customers affected by Monday’s storms in greater Birmingham, Hoover, Hueytown, Haleyville and Fayette should be restored.

By midnight Wednesday, the remaining customers in those areas, as well as customers in the hard-hit areas of Jasper, Carbon Hill, Dora, Hayden, Warrior, Trussville and Leeds should be restored.

By midnight Wednesday, service should also be restored to 90 percent of the customers in Talladega and Roanoke. By midnight Thursday, we should have service restored to the hardest hit areas of Anniston, Jacksonville, Heflin, Gadsden, Pell City and Oneonta.

Our assessment has revealed that the most significant damage occurred in the eastern part of the state. Statewide, about 75,000 customers remained without service at 3 p.m. Tuesday.

Crews from 10 states – Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas – are joining the restoration effort. By Wednesday, 1,500 workers from outside the impacted areas will join the 2,000 Alabama Power employees and contractors already working to restore power. As power is restored, Alabama Power wants to emphasize the continuing importance of safety:

·         {C}{C}{C}{C}{C}{C}Stay away from areas where repair crews are working.

·         {C}{C}{C}{C}{C}{C}Stay away from downed lines. Do not drive over lines or under low-hanging lines. Keep children and pets away from downed lines. Do not attempt to remove tree limbs or anything else caught in power lines. Stay clear of areas with fallen trees or debris where downed lines may be hidden.

·         {C}{C}{C}{C}{C}{C}If power is still out, please call Alabama Power’s automated reporting system at 1-800-888-APCO (2726). It is the fastest way to report an outage or a hazardous situation.

Alabama Power, a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE: SO), provides electric service to more than 1.4 million customers across the state.