As power is restored to most customers throughout Appalachian Power service territory following last week’s devastating storms and flooding, the company is now turning its efforts toward the safety of those customers whose homes or businesses have been damaged by flooding.
Customers whose homes were damaged are required to get an electrical inspection before reconnecting their homes to electricity. “While this inspection may seem like an extra burden to customers already dealing with so much, it’s very important to make sure it is safe to restore power,” said Tom Johnson, Charleston manager of distribution systems.
During this flood emergency, Appalachian Power will pay for these electrical inspections to reduce the burden on customers.
In addition, the company announced yesterday that it will make a $25,000 contribution to the American Red Cross for West Virginia flood relief. Plus, AEP employees are contributing to a company-run fund for disaster relief and the AEP Foundation will match these contributions up to $50,000. These contributions will be made to the Salvation Army and the American Red Cross.
Appalachian Power has 1 million customers in Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee (as AEP Appalachian Power). It is a unit of American Electric Power, one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering electricity and custom energy solutions to nearly 5.4 million customers in 11 states. AEP owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system, a more than 40,000-mile network that includes more 765-kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined. AEP also operates 223,000 miles of distribution lines. AEP ranks among the nation’s largest generators of electricity, owning approximately 31,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S.
