Power outages in the 1,000s are being reported across the Heart of Virginia as crew work to restore electricity.

Dominion is reporting more than 1,000 outages in Lunenburg County, including 751 in Kenbridge, 580 in the Lunenburg and Victoria area, and scattered outages in the county totaling 315. SEC reports a total of 1,284 in Lunenburg County.

Dominion Energy reports slightly more than 20,000 customers without service, most of them in the Southside/Central Virginia area and in the Richmond/Tri-cities area that includes Petersburg.

According to Dominion representative Richard Zuercher, approximately 7,860 customers, including Farmville, South Boston and Alta Vista, remain without power as of Sunday morning.

“Crews are in place in the impacted areas and are making repairs as quickly and safely as possible,” Zuercher said. “We’ve augmented our crews in Southside, Va., with additional standby and local contractors.”

Estimated restoration times are expected to be available once damage assessment is complete, Zuercher said.

“We are advising customers to beware of downed power lines, and remember that they could be covered by snow,” Zuercher said. “Assume they are energized and dangerous. They should keep family members, neighbors and pets a minimum of 30 feet away and call us right away at 1-866-DOM-HELP. Choose the option to report a downed wire. In addition, we are asking customers to please take extra care if they have to drive., and, if they see our crews working, please slow down and give them extra space.”

According to an update from the Southside Electric Cooperative (SEC) at 11 a.m. Sunday, 6,237 SEC members in 14 counties were without power. SEC had 182 outages. “The snow and ice are causing trees and limbs to break and fall into power lines, knocking out electricity across the service area,” an update from SEC cited.

The time of restoration may be extended due to snow and ice on the roads.

“SEC crews are out working to restore electricity, but due to the difficult road conditions and numerous outage locations, members should prepare for the possibility of an extended outage event,” a release from the company cited. “All available crews will be working throughout the day and won’t stop until all power is restored.”

To report power outages, contact Dominion Energy at www.dominionenergy.com/outages on your mobile device or at 866-366-4357. Southside Electric Cooperative can be reached at 1-866-878-5514.

 

This is a developing report. Stay with The Dispatch for updates.