More than 346K remain without power after storm

More than 346,000 people remain without power after severe storms ripped through the region, and utility companies say it could be days before full service is restored.

Utilities were reporting Wednesday that hundreds of thousands of people lacked electricity after the strong thunderstorms that brought rain, wind and lightning to the Philadelphia area Tuesday night.

Peco reported roughly 127,000 outages in the area as of shortly before 2:30 p.m. Wednesday. Delaware County, with about 66,000 outages, and Chester County, with about 51,000, were the hardest hit.

In South Jersey, Atlantic City Electric had more than 173,000 outages in its eight-county service area, while PSE&G reported about 45,000.

Camden County appeared to be the worst-off area in South Jersey, with more than 80,000 customers lacking power there between the two utility companies. Gloucester County, with a combined 76,000 outages, wasn't far behind.

The outage numbers were somewhat improved, however, from the 500,000 in the Philadelphia area who lacked power Tuesday night. At the height of the storm, 280,000 Atlantic City Electric customers, 250,000 Peco customers and 130,000 PSE&G customers lost electricity, according to the utility companies.

The utilities said they were working to bring power back to homes and businesses as quickly as possible, but full restoration was likely to take several days.

Peco said most customers should have power again by Friday, but some places might not have service until the weekend. PSE&G said most people should expect power to return by Thursday afternoon.

Atlantic City Electric officials said the company was still working to determine how quickly power could be fully restored.

"We are still making that assessment," spokeswoman Lendel Jones said late Wednesday morning. "The damage was extensive to our equipment."

In the meantime, local authorities tried to help residents cope.

Delaware County officials declared a state of emergency after outages hit all 49 municipalities, with downed trees and lines scattered across the county.

"Our concern was emergency vehicles couldn't go from one end of county to another," said County Council chairman Mario Civera Jr. He said several state roads, including Route 1 and Route 29, remained closed in spots. And one Chester nursing home was briefly without power. Civera said he expected 95 percent of the outages to be restored by the weekend.

Gloucester County and the Red Cross opened centers for people without power to charge devices, cool off, get water and take care of other needs. Those centers are located at the county's Government Services Building at 1200 N. Delsea Drive in Clayton and at the Mt. Royal Fire Department at County House Road and Kings Highway in East Greenwich.

Cherry Hill also opened cooling centers for those lacking power, at the Carman Tilelli Community Center at 820 Mercer St., the Cherry Hill Public LIbrary at 1100 Kings Highway North and the Chery Hill Mill at 2000 Route 38.

Utility crews worked through the night to assess damage and begin repairs, the companies said.

The storm badly damaged tree limbs and electrical equipment, Peco said, and road closures were making it harder for crews to reach sites to make repairs.

About 20 of Atlantic City Electric's high-voltage transmission lines -- which each serve thousands of customers -- were damaged by the storm, said Jones, the company spokeswoman. More than 370 wires were also downed by the storm, she said.

Peco said about 200 area contractors were joining the company's crews in restoration efforts, and another 500 staffers from utilities in nearby states were expected to head to the Philadelphia area to help. Atlantic City Electric and PSE&G also said contractors and mutal-assistance crews would aid in their restoration work.

The utilities said people should stay clear of downed wires and working crews.

The power issues have caused numerous problems beyond leaving homes and businesses without electricity.

The lack of power has disrupted public transportation in the region, with PATCO service suspended throughout the morning. Several SEPTA lines were also not running. And Verizon service, affecting both cell and land lines, was down in parts of South Jersey, including Cherry Hill.

People can report outages or get more information from the utilities here: Peco (1-800-841-4141), PSE&G (1-800-436-PSEG), Atlantic City Electric (1-800-833-7476).

Inquirer staff writer Mari Schaefer contributed to this report.