After Saturday night’s round of thunderstorms left thousands more around the Lehigh Valley without power, Allentown officials are urging residents to be vigilant of downed trees and lines.
The city said Sunday there were numerous downed power lines especially in the West End.
“Public safety is our top priority,” fire Chief Efrain Agosto said. “We ask everyone to remain vigilant and keep a safe distance from any storm-related hazards.”
Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk inspected storm damage during his morning run, posting it on social media.
He said the city’s streets and parks teams are clearing downed trees and debris. However, he noted that tree maintenance on private property remains the responsibility of the owners.
Tuerk also emphasized that residents and drivers should avoid traveling through blocked areas, and not attempt to bypass downed trees or power lines.
“There were very high winds, a lot of rain and it knocked down lots of tree branches, some trees across Allentown,” Tuerk said, “including trees that block streets and trees down in our parks.”
He said the lack of power made it a long night for many in the city.
“Not great night of sleep last night without air conditioning, and with some freaked-out, panting dogs,” Tuerk said.
As of 5 p.m., PPL reported that about 2.500 customers in Lehigh County were without power, including more than 1,400 in Allentown. The utility’s outage map showed the worst hit was the West Park neighborhood along 15th Street between Union and Tilghman streets.
PPL said that it may take until Wednesday before power is completely restored. The city said PPL “is actively working to restore power as quickly and safely as possible.”
The West Park Civic Association said the storm didn’t damage the bandshell, the fountain and the memorials in the park. However, two mature oaks on the park’s southwest corner were “total losses,” with the larger of the pair uprooted entirely. Several other trees in the park’s collection were also damaged.
“All but two of the trees involved were original to the park’s 1908 planting; reckoning with their loss emotionally will take time,” the association said in a social media post, noting that neighbors were on hand to clean the fountain of fallen limbs and branches.
Lehigh Valley Active Life at 1633 W. Elm St. is open for people who want to cool down and charge their cellphones. A concert is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Sunday, according to a social media post from Tuerk.
In a statement released around noon Sunday, PPL said it has restored power to more than 116,000 customers in eastern and central Pennsylvania over the weekend, but 115,000 more are without power.
The company secured additional resources through mutual assistance and from PPL’s other electric utilities and has deployed these additional crews and field personnel.
“Crews continue to work around the clock as safely and quickly as possible,” said Christine Martin, president of PPL Electric Utilities. “We understand that being without power is never easy, and we’ll continue to work nonstop until every customer is restored.”
Initially, more than 5,000 in the city lost power Saturday and, overall, more than 7,000 in the Lehigh Valley.
Met-Ed and PPL both reported several hundred lost power at scattered locations in Northampton County.
The Poconos were hit much harder, with Met-Ed reporting more than 9,000 outages in Monroe County.
Monroe County has opened a Red Cross Emergency Shelter at J.M. Hill Elementary School for community members of Smithfield and Middle Smithfield townships who remain without electricity. The school is at 151 Broad St., East Stroudsburg. Pets are welcome, but must be kept on leashes or in carriers. The shelter will remain open until further notice.
PPL said more than 1,500 were without power in Richland Township, in Upper Bucks.
Meanwhile, nearly a thousand in Lower Macungie and Upper Milford townships that lost power in Friday night’s storm were still without power. Restoration there could still take several days.
Allentown police said downed wires can remain energized and pose a serious risk of electrocution. Residents are strongly advised to:
• Treat all downed wires as live and stay clear of them at all times.
• Avoid driving or walking over or near downed lines or debris.
• Do not attempt to move or touch any wires or damaged utility equipment.
• Report downed wires immediately to PPL Electric Utilities and local emergency services.
State Sen. Nick Miller’s office said that PPL customers who lost power may be eligible for a credit on their electric account for ice and water purchases. Customers can purchase up to three 10-pound bags of ice and 3 gallons of water per day from any store and submit the receipts for reimbursement as an account credit.
Mail receipts along with a PPL account number to PPL Electric Utilities; Attn. Ice and Water; 827 Hausman Road; Allentown, PA 18104.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.