Utility crews restored power to 20,000 additional homes overnight, bringing the total number of restored customers to 40,000 since the winter storm began Sunday.
Officials say damage to the system is more extensive than initially believed, particularly in the most rural portions of the service territory. As a result, full restoration may take longer than anticipated as crews continue to assess and repair widespread damage.
Partnerships with DelDOT and local farmers have played a key role in clearing roads, allowing utility teams better access to damaged infrastructure and a clearer understanding of the scope of destruction.
Additional crews from multiple Virginia utilities arrived overnight and are now deployed across the system. Delaware-based contractors have also been called in to assist with restoration efforts.
At this time, crews are focusing on the last major circuit outages impacting thousands of customers in the Angola and Broadkill areas. Many residents in those communities are expected to have service restored later today.
Beyond those major outages, approximately 800 separate damage reports remain across the service territory. These include hundreds of downed trees and power lines, along with more than a dozen broken utility poles. Individual incidents range in impact from single homes to outages affecting several hundred customers.
Officials say they hope to restore power to an additional 10,000 homes by this evening. However, some outages are expected to persist into Wednesday and possibly Thursday.
Due to the high volume of damage reports, individualized restoration times cannot be provided. Utility officials acknowledge the frustration this may cause and say they are committed to providing as much transparency as possible throughout the recovery process.
This storm is being described as the worst outage event since the 1994 ice storm and, for many customers, marks the longest period they have been without power in decades. Officials note that while storms of this magnitude are rare, they can cause extensive and widespread system damage when they occur.
Residents are encouraged to check on friends and neighbors who may still be without power and to offer assistance when possible.
Warming shelters have been opened at Dover High School and Sussex Central Middle School for those in need of relief from the cold.
Utility officials also addressed concerns about the outage map, explaining that during large-scale events individual outages are grouped into broader outage areas. This may result in individual reports not appearing separately on the map, though crews are aware of them. Officials noted the outage map displayed on the DEC Connect App may not be fully accurate at this time, but a live outage map remains available online as repairs continue.
Crews will continue working 24 hours a day until all customers have service restored. Another update is expected later today.
