Ice to be distributed
Indiana Michigan Power was hoping to distribute ice to customers without power to help preserve food. A news release at 10:33 a.m. said staff hoped to have the ice by 11 a.m. Customers will receive a maximum of two bags. The company had planned to distribute ice Saturday night but have problems getting a supply.
Public pool closed
Due to lost power, Memorial Pool is closed Sunday.
Got power?
As of 11 a.m. Sunday, Indiana Michigan Power had restored service to more than 44,000 customers who lost power from Friday afternoon's storm. Crews are working to restore service roughly 74,000 customers, according to Indiana Michigan Power spokesman Dave Mayne.
About 118,000 customers in the region lost service as a result of Friday's storm that 63 mph winds with a gust of 91 mph recorded at Fort Wayne International Airport. Another storm Saturday added to the outages.
The majority of customers without power - more than 62,000 - are in the greater Fort Wayne area where more than 78,000 customers had electric service interrupted by the storm, according to Mayne.
More than 200 additional workers from eastern Michigan, southern Illinois,
Kentucky, West Virginia and Oklahoma have arrived, or are on their way, to
help with restoration.
DeKalb, Noble, Whitley, Huntington, Wells and Adams counties are expected to have all power restored by Monday afternoon.
It will likely be late Wednesday night before all Allen County customers have their power restored. Estimates to complete the restoration are projected to be longer than for areas where the storm did less damage.
I&M offered these tips:
*Never touch a downed utility wire, no matter how harmless it looks. It can
be difficult to distinguish between a power line and a cable or telephone
line. Call Indiana Michigan Power to report any downed lines or equipment.
*If you use a portable or RV generator, do not plug it into your circuit box. Portable generators "backfeed" electricity up the line and risk the lives of repair workers and the public. Follow the manufacturers' instructions carefully, and plug essential appliances directly into the generator.
*Do not stop crew trucks as this will only slow down repairs. Indiana Michigan Power asks for your patience and
understanding during the restoration process. In many areas, crews must
rebuild significant portions of electric facilities to restore power.
*Indiana Michigan Power cannot connect power to any home or business where there is damage to the service entrance. The service entrance is the area located 1) at the meter, 2) between the meter and the home's electrical
panel, or 3) the location where Indiana Michigan Power's cable connects to
the home/business owner's cable. Customers need to have a qualified
electrician repair this damage before power can be restored to the home or
business.
Business without power
Hungry? Well, you better call the restaurant first. Power outages are spotty, such as those along Rudisill Boulevard on the south side of town. Lee's Famous Recipe has power, while McDonald's a block or two to the west is closed because it doesn't.
Old National Bank at Wal-Mart, 10420 Maysville Road, was closed Sunday because of a power outage. It was closed Saturday, also.
