RICHMOND, Va., Jan. 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Dominion Energy Virginia crews are safely and quickly restoring power to customers affected by Monday's winter storm, which left pockets of heavy damage and impacted travel across Virginia. Along with a full cohort of Dominion Energy crews, support staff, and contractors, more than 800 mutual aid workers are providing assistance to ensure a swift response.

Around 400,000 customers have experienced a power outage since heavy snow and high winds began impacting service early Monday morning, making this one of the five worst winter storms in Dominion Energy Virginia's history. Significant restoration progress has been made with service restored to more than 290,000 customers as of 3p.m. Tuesday.

Many more customers will have their power restored Tuesday and the majority of those still without power will be restored by late Wednesday evening, with some outage restorations extending into Thursday. Areas around Charlottesville and Fredericksburg have been particularly impacted by this historic event where damage is the most severe and road conditions are treacherous, in some cases, impassable. Crews will continue restoration around the clock until all customers have service restored.

Estimated restoration times will be populated on individual projects as damage assessment and restoration continues. The most up-to-date information will be available at www.dominionenergy.com or on the Dominion Energy app.

"We have a well-coordinated effort underway involving thousands of hard-working men and women, both on the front lines and behind-the-scenes, to restore service as safely and quickly as possible," said Charlene Whitfield, senior vice-president of Power Delivery at Dominion Energy Virginia. "We understand our customers rely on us for reliable service, particularly in cold weather and during the ongoing pandemic, and we are doing our best to respond to the catastrophic damage we have seen across our Virginia service area."

Heavy, wet snow and high winds caused downed trees and limbs, downed power lines and broken poles and cross arms at more than 5,000 work locations across the service area. Crews are working as safely and quickly as possible to restore power; however, dangerous travel conditions are slowing the restoration process.

Looking ahead, Dominion Energy is monitoring the weather forecast for more potential winter weather later this week. Similar to our preparations for Monday's storm, Dominion Energy will be prepared to safely and efficiently restore any customer outages should they occur.

The company encourages customers to watch the weather and prepare for any additional power outages. Learn about how customers can prepare.

To ensure the fastest response, Dominion Energy asks that customers report their power outages. The fastest way to report or track an outage is using the Dominion Energy app or online at DominionEnergy.com. Customers may also call 1-866-DOM-HELP (1-866-366-4357) to report an outage.

Here's how customers can stay safe:

• Beware of downed power lines and remember that they could be covered by snow. Assume they are energized and dangerous. Please remain at least 30 feet away and ensure that others also avoid the downed line. Virginia and North Carolina customers should call 1-866-DOM-HELP (1-866-366-4357) right away to report a downed power line.
• Ensure generators are properly connected. Be sure they are fueled, tested and connected in a well-ventilated area outdoors. Improper use of a generator could be life-threatening for customers and crews working to restore power.

For photos and video, visit our website: Multimedia | Dominion Energy

About Dominion Energy

About 7 million customers in 13 states energize their homes and businesses with electricity or natural gas from Dominion Energy (NYSE: D), headquartered in Richmond, Va. The company is committed to sustainable, reliable, affordable and safe energy and to achieving net zero carbon dioxide and methane emissions from its power generation and gas infrastructure operations by 2050. Please visit DominionEnergy.com to learn more.

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SOURCE Dominion Energy