RICHMOND, Virginia – Almost 145,000 Dominion Energy customers in Virginia have been without power since 9:45 pm on Saturday, according to the energy company. This includes more than 100,900 customers in Central Virginia.
An ice storm warning is in effect in much of the area until 10 am on Sunday.
“While more constant rainfall is leaving the area, there will be more areas of freezing rain and drizzle tonight, with some areas of snow and hail mixed in north and west Richmond,” said meteorologist Mike Goldberg. “With temperatures dropping below the freezing mark, everything will freeze and there will be ice conditions on the roads in the area, especially bridges, overpasses and secondary roads. Please stay home if you can, avoiding unnecessary travel.”
RELATED: Looking Hourly Over Saturday’s Ice Storm Time
Interruptions have been reported in cities and counties in Central Virginia:
- Chesterfield – 48,854
- Petersburg – 10,990
- Henrico – 8,614
- Richmond – 8,451
- Dinwiddie – 6,387
- New Kent – 5,320
- Hanover – 4,151
- Goochland – 3,592
- Colonial Heigthts – 3,039
- Powhatan – 1,446
- Charles City – 1,428
- Príncipe Jorge – 1,123
More than 37,600 Dominion customers were without power in Southside Virginia, as well as more than 4,200 customers in the Middle Peninsula / Northern Neck.
In addition, more than 18,000 customers of Rappahannock Electric Cooperative, mainly in Caroline, Hanover, King & Queen, King William, Louisa and Spotsylvania counties, were out of power on Saturday night.
“The crews have been struggling with the difficult conditions as countless trees have fallen on roads and power lines,” said REC officials.
Cooperative officials said several teams from South Carolina are going to Virginia to join the teams on Sunday to make repairs and “restore service as quickly and safely as possible”.
“As the impact continues, Dominion Energy teams will work to assess the damage and respond to disruptions as safely and quickly as possible,” said Samantha Moore, senior communications specialist at Dominion Energy. “As always, safety is our priority. We will work diligently to restore energy while keeping our colleagues and customers safe.”
Dominion employees asked people to stay away from interrupted lines.
- Watch out for fallen power lines and remember that they may be covered by snow. Suppose they are energized and dangerous. Keep family members, neighbors and pets at a minimum distance of 9 meters and call us immediately at 1-866-DOM-HELP (1-866-366-4357). Choose the option to report a fallen wire.
- If you have a generator, make sure it is powered, tested and connected correctly. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions and always operate outdoors with good ventilation. Improper use of a generator can be fatal for customers and line crews working to restore power.
Those without power were asked to report interruptions by calling 1-866-366-4357.
“The fastest way to report or track an outage is to use our mobile or online application at DominionEnergy.com,” said energy company officials. “We encourage customers to download the Dominion Energy app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store before the inclement weather comes.”
Did you lose energy during the storm? Post it on the WTVR CBS 6 Facebook page.