RICHMOND, VA (Rocktown Now) – Dominion Energy has issued an update about the winter storm system from yesterday and today.

Dominion Energy crews have restored power to nearly 100,000 of the 187,000 customers impacted so far by the storm. Heavy accumulations of wet snow and ice caused significant damage to power lines, trees and tree limbs across Central, Southside and Western Virginia. More than 3,700 line workers, patrollers and other support personnel have been actively engaged in the restoration effort since yesterday evening, already completing repairs at more than 1,300 individual damage locations. Metro Richmond and Southside Virginia are the hardest hit areas, with numerous reports of catastrophic damage such as broken poles and multiple spans of downed wire. Repairing broken poles and replacing spans of downed wire is time-consuming work, requiring multiple crews and bucket trucks working at a single site for several hours.

Crews will continue working around the clock to restore everyone’s power as safely and quickly as possible. Thousands of line workers, patrollers and other support personnel will continue working overnight and into tomorrow until everyone’s power is restored. We will continue prioritizing power restoration for hospitals, schools, and other critical community services, as well as areas with the largest number of outages. We are updating estimated restoration times on the Dominion Energy mobile app and website as crews assess damage and begin making repairs at each location.

A multi-day power restoration effort is likely due to the 48-hour duration of the storm and catastrophic damage in some areas of Metro Richmond and Southside. More power outages are likely this evening and into Thursday morning as wet snow and freezing rain continues to accumulate on trees and power lines. Travel conditions are difficult in some areas and could deteriorate overnight, which makes some impacted areas harder to reach and prolongs power restoration efforts.

The Dominion Energy app is the easiest way to report outages and track your restoration time. If you lose power, there are three easy ways to report your outage and track your restoration time: 1) Dominion Energy mobile app; 2) Dominion Energy website; or 3) Call 866-DOM-HELP.

For safety, stay away from downed power lines. If you see a downed pole or wire, please report it by calling 866-DOM-HELP and stay at least 30 feet away. The line could be energized and dangerous.

With more power outages likely this evening and tomorrow, customers are encouraged to keep their devices fully charged and prepare emergency supplies. Keep your phone, computer and other electronic devices fully charged and consider using portable batteries to extend the life of your devices. Keep bottled water and non-perishable food on hand, as well as emergency supplies such as flashlights, batteries, first aid kits and medications.