Icy limbs blamed for power outages in latest storm

Yesterday, the trees were not your friend.

Ice-crusted limbs were the culprits that took out power lines throughout the Philadelphia region, causing about 100,000 homes in the Pennsylvania suburbs to lose power at the peak of yet another major wintry blast.

By the time the assault of freezing rain let up amid rising temperatures by the middle of the day, Amtrak's busy Northeast Corridor service between Philadelphia and New York had been knocked out for a time, and more than 100 suburban districts canceled yet another school day.

But the biggest lasting local impact from the outer edge of the same 2,000-mile monster storm that caused a blizzard in Chicago and ripped apart the roof of fabled Wrigley Field were the widespread power outages - some of which lasted into today.

Karen Muldoon Geus, spokeswoman for Peco, which services Philadelphia and its closest Pennsylvania suburbs, said most outages were north and west of the city, where the ice storm was more severe and where neighborhoods have more trees.

"The trees were the cause this time," Muldoon Geus said. "We saw accumulating ice that started affecting the system around 4 a.m. throughout the morning, and even more this [yesterday] afternoon because it took a long time for the ice to melt."

At the peak early yesterday afternoon, about 40,000 homes in Bucks County had no electricity, as well as 22,000 residences in Montgomery County, 20,000 in Chester County and 17,000 in Delaware County.

Last night, the overall number of area outages had plunged to just 13,500, according to Peco's Cathy Engel, but she added that scattered homes "in some of the most heavily damaged areas may remain without power until Friday."

The city - where temperatures hovered above the freezing mark - was spared the brunt of the ice. Just 1,000 Philadelphia homes lost power at the peak, according to Peco, and public and parochial schools opened after a two-hour delay.

Muldoon Geus said that Peco's repair team was bolstered by contract workers and by some out-of-town crews expected to arrive today. She said anyone still experiencing outages or sees a downed power line should call the utility's emergency line, 800-841-4141.