UPDATE As of 1 p.m. Sunday:
Appalachian Power reports 40,800 customers in West Virginia are still without power. They say most West Virginia customers should have power back on by 11 p.m. Sunday night.
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Appalachian Power restored service to more than 20,000 customers in West Virginia Saturday with 41,000 still without power after Tropical Storm Helene.
Crews, many of them from outside of West Virginia, will be back to work Sunday. The utility said most customers in West Virginia should be back on by Sunday night.
Appalachian Power’s system took devastating hits from Helene in its Virginia and Tennessee service districts. West Virginia’s southern coalfield counties sustained the most damage from the storm in the Mountain State.
Crews working in West Virginia will be sent to southeastern Virginia and northeastern Tennessee once they’re done here.
Other information released by the utility Saturday in connection with its three-state restoration efforts:
—With nearly 30% of the assessment complete, crews have found over 1,100 spans of downed wire and damaged equipment, including 215 poles, 190 crossarms and 60 transformers.
—Damage was widespread, with more than 2,200 unique outage cases reported between all three states.
—Over 2,500 employees and contractors are dedicated to storm restoration work, with 1,000 additional personnel joining Sunday morning.
Story by Jeff Jenkins, MetroNews