Power Companies Say Crews Are Ready For Remnants Of Hurricane Ida To Hit Pittsburgh Area

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Duquesne Light and West Penn Power say crews are prepared for when the remnants of Hurricane Ida hit the region.

In Shaler Township on Tuesday, people on Maple Avenue lost power for 2 1/2 hours after a large tree limb crashed on a power line. No one was hurt.

Duquesne Light and West Penn Power said there will be round-the-clock coverage throughout the storms.

"We put all of our folks on notice that we are getting into a storm situation where they will work extended hours," said Todd Meyers, a West Penn Power spokesperson. "Sixteen hours on, eight hours off until the last customer has power restored. We put our contractors on notice."

"We have crews ready for during the day, but we brought in some of our other crews to cover what we call back shifts," said Hollie Geitner, a spokesperson for Duquesne Light. "We have 24-hour coverage if we have issues throughout the duration of this rain event."

READ OUR WEATHER TRACKER: Remnants Of Storm Could Cause Widespread Flooding In Western Pa.

The expected flooding may wreak havoc on two levels.

"Flooding impacts our trucks to get where they need to go," Geitner said. "But it can also soften the root systems of trees and cause them to fall onto lines. So that is something that we would be concerned about."

And responding to outages is paramount.

"We don't know exactly where we are going to have problems. We just have to be able to respond to those problems," said Meyers.

Officials say to never touch downed power lines and always make sure your devices are charged.

The heaviest rain from Ida will occur from 4 a.m. through 4 p.m. on Wednesday.

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