Star Staff Reports
Memphis Light, Gas and Water crews were working to assess damage, and restore power to more than 116,000 customers affected by Thursday’s ice storm.
Memphis and Shelby County was under an ice storm warning last Thursday and more outages was expected. Nearly 200,000 MLGW customers across Shelby County were without power as of Feb. 4.
More than 50 MLGW crews, contract crews and tree trimmers are working as quickly and safely as possible to restore power to all customers affected. However, the weather pattern over the next few days hampered restoration efforts. Some outages took days to restore.
MLGW crews were joined by dozens of contract crews and tree trimming crews. Restoration to 25,000-30,000 more customers by midnight happened by Monday. Reported that 90 percent of all affected customers were expected to be restored by midnight on Monday.
“This is a significant event in our history,” noted President Young in the mid-day press conference in Raleigh-Frayser. “In the past 30 years, we have only had two other weather events as destructive as this one.” He urged customers to manage their expectations as restoration for smaller, more localized outages could extend to Thursday (a week since the storm).
Customers are also asked to download the MLGW app and sign up for the My Account program. This allows customers to report and track outages, sign up for text alerts, handle billing issues, monitor usage and more.
MLGW prioritizes restoration efforts based on essential services (like hospitals and pumping stations) and where outages are concentrated.
Hundreds of customers may be on one circuit, so the utility focuses efforts on large circuit outages, then on partial circuit outages, overhead lines and finally services to individual houses. Of the 50 circuits damaged in the storm, only 19 repairs remain.
MLGW urges customers with localized issues, like damaged weatherheads, to have an electrician make repairs now to avoid further delay once power is restored to their neighborhood. A weatherhead is the transitional point from the customer’s service equipment to MLGW’s service equipment. For details about where MLGW’s equipment ends and the customer’s equipment begins, please check out the brochure Weathering Nature’s Fury.
MLGW customers can report outages and get updates on restoration efforts using their My Account. Customers can also call MLGW’s automated line at 544-6500 to report outages and get updates.
Memphis Light, Gas and Water asks customers with billing and account questions to hold off on contacting the utility’s Call Center. All agents are fielding emergency calls only. Call Center hours are extended.
MLGW reminds customers to consider any downed wire to be dangerous and to not touch.
Important MLGW contact information for customers:
• Electric Outage Reporting: 544-6500
• Emergencies: 528-4465 (for electrical lines down, gas leaks, broken water mains inside a building)
• Customer Care Center: 544-6549
• Online Outage Center: mlgw.com/home/outagecenter
