UPDATE; WIRT COUNTY STORM RESPONSE

(07/10/2012)
Wirt County Storm Response Update

OES Director Bo Wriston

The following information is made available to the public in regards to current Response Efforts in Wirt County to recover from the storm system that impacted West Virginia on Friday, June 29, 2012.

Power:

Electric power is slowly being returned to additional Wirt residents, although not nearly as quickly as we would like. One full week plus into this event, according to the 1st Energy/Mon Power website only 17% or 773 residences are still without power, down from the 1,928 with no power this time four nights ago.

100% restoration for Wirt County is now listed by Midnight, July 11, 2012, however that is an optimistic estimate at best.

We are still getting reports of multiple areas with power lines down across road surfaces, and the Elizabeth/Wirt Volunteer Fire Department keeps getting toned out for brush fires caused by downed electric lines as power comes back to them.

Many hard-to-reach areas have had poles snapped in two which require time to replace in difficult terrain. Wirt County OES and Wirt County Sheriff's Office have been in constant contact with 1st Energy/Mon Power doing everything we can to pressure repairs as quickly as possible, but please realize we are in the same situation as everyone else.

(Wood County w/1,161, Ritchie w/1,440, Calhoun w/1,184, Roane w/934, and Jackson w/486 all without power still.)

Water:

The Elizabeth Water Plant is still operating at full capacity and the Boil Water Advisory is in effect until further notice. Claywood Park PSD customers have reported no interruption in their service. Customers county-wide however are asked to please conserve water when at all possible.