MANSFIELD — About 3,300 Ohio Edison customers in the Mansfield area are without power as of Monday evening, according to spokeswoman Lauren Siburkis.
“Our primary focus at this stage is to remove any hazards and assess the damage so that our crews can access the site of an outage and begin to safely make the repairs,” Siburkis said in a statement Monday evening.
She warned the process can be time consuming.
“The damage we’re seeing includes downed wires, trees on lines and dozens of broken poles and crossarms,” Siburkis said.
According to a Facebook post from the Mansfield Police Department around 7 p.m. Monday evening, a vehicle struck a utility pole “causing a power outage affecting a large portion of the city’s south side.”
Mansfield police wrote that Ohio Edison has been notified and its crews are operating “in storm mode.” MPD’s post specified Ohio Edison is receiving a high volume of calls due to Monday night’s weather.
According to the National Weather Service, the low Monday night is forecast at 18 degrees. There is a 20 percent chance for snow and patchy blowing snow.
Strong winds, with gusts greater than 30 miles per hour, are imposing a harsh wind chill. As of 8:30 p.m., the National Weather Service reported a wind chill of 10 degrees in Mansfield.
It is anticipated that “many customers” will have their power restored throughout the evening, she said. But estimated restoration times for “heavily damaged areas” will not be available until Tuesday — when more will be known about the full scale of damage.
Dozens of additional contractors and outside personnel are on-site and assisting Ohio Edison crews with restoration efforts, according to Siburkis.
“This is an all-hands effort, and we are staggering crews to ensure 24/7 response to any outages,” she said. “Safety is our top priority. Please use caution if you must go outdoors.
“Stay far away from downed- or low-hanging power lines that could be hidden in storm debris or downed trees. If you see any downed- or low-hanging wire, assume it is energized and dangerous. Stay far away and report it immediately to 911.”
Siburkis shared several ways to report an outage:
- Call 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877)
- Text “OUT” to LIGHTS (544487)
- Click the “Outages” link on firstenergycorp.com
Customer-reported outages help Ohio Edison pinpoint damage locations so a crew can respond faster to restore service, she said.
“We know how important reliable power is to our customers’ daily lives, and we appreciate their patience and understanding as we work around the clock to keep them safe and powered,” Siburkis said.