WV Power Outages...

[lukkadairish]

Since June 29, most of my state has experienced extreme power outages from storm damage that swept through here like a land locked hurricane. Me and mine went without power until Tuesday, July 3rd. Hundreds of thousands of people were struggling like me, and tens of thousands are still without the basics....electricity, water, and in some places their homes. I just want to take a minute to thank all the folks who have come from all over to help us restore electricity.....I've seen truck license plates from South Dakota, Florida, Indiana, Pennsylvania, the Carolinas, and Alabama. People have reached out to their neighbors to provide them with what little they have, all in the interest in a better community atmosphere. I know there are alot of folks who are frustrated, uncomfortable, uneasy, and in poor health due to the hardship this all presents, and I pray for all of you. There are good people in this world, and I have been a witness to it......

[Klukie]

1. My husband has been working ungodly hours for the past week with the storm cleanup.

He looks like a zombie at this point. Hopefully the temps cool and no more thunderstorms come through. He told me last night that 59,000 were still without power.

[Klukie]

2. here is a link that shows the current outages...

http://outages.firstenergycorp.com/oh.html

[randr]

3. I am appalled by the media blackout of this event

I have seen a bare minimum of reports from any of the affected communities. No on the ground coverage at all. What I have heard is alarming. I wonder if the MSM is afraid to send in units because the situation is so horrible.
What is the FEMA response?
One parallel to Katrina of note from your post is that it appears no one is stopping the help and relief coming in from other communities.
Hang in there, our thoughts are with you.

[bluedigger]

4. What do you want FEMA to do?

They don't have any utility workers. Local authorities should be able to handle any life threatening emergencies resulting from power outages. Has the Governor asked for assistance?

[randr]

5. I do not have any opinion of what I want FEMA to do

I was asking if they are involved at all and what they are doing if so.
I would imagine they would have an organizational role to play.

[bluedigger]

7. First, they need to be asked for.

And the President has to declare an emergency. They are not, and never have been, meant to serve as First Responders. The "Management" part of their title is key. They coordinate resources and provide technical expertise. They also help mitigate future disasters in many ways. The utilities' problem is insufficient capacity to respond to the damage in a timely manner. They already have contingency plans to coordinate resources with other utilities, and experience in doing so.

In this case, FEMA is responding, along with wildfires in Colorado, and flooding from Debby in Florida. A friend of mine just flew out from Colorado to Kentucky for something (not sure of his final destination.) http://blog.fema.gov/

[cbrer]

6. One phrase...

Underground power lines.