Dozens of Emsworth neighbors still in the dark 6 days after unprecedented storms

EMSWORTH, Pa. — The hum of generators is all too common on Locust Street in Emsworth. Neighbors like Stephen Wilson lost power last Tuesday, and six days later, the lights are still off.

Wilson says he’s grateful for friends from church who let them borrow their generator.

“I was kind of expecting when it went out it would be back in a few hours,” Wilson said. “That, unfortunately, has not been the case.”

Wilson says he’s seen crews working around the clock to help restore power, and he understands how difficult a task it is getting everyone back online.

Monday morning, hundreds of people in Emsworth were still in the dark. Council President Kevin Yurkovich says Duquesne Light is telling him that total restoration for the borough will be 6 p.m. Monday.

He says he understands the frustrations because his lights were off for 102 hours, or four and a half days. He says the Mayor of Emsworth was in the same boat, and the Council Vice President didn’t get power back until Monday morning.

“Some of us, like myself, had to travel to Ohio for a couple days,” Yurkovich said. “It’s tough upsetting your family and having to do these things.”

Yurkovich says he had to ask local state representative Arvind Venkat to escalate the situation and says there are serious questions that Duquesne Light needs to answer.

“West Penn power was up and running - their total recovery was by Thursday,” Yurkovich said. “They were able to do almost as many customers in half the time. There has to be a difference. That’s what we need to get the answers for our community.”

He says those questions will be asked once power is restored to everybody. Wilson says some neighbors have questions, too.

“There are a lot of questions on social media,” Wilson said. “I see the guys out here working, I know they’re doing the best they can. I think it’s the nature of the beast.”

The borough says previously planned gas and water outages for Monday have all been pushed back until Tuesday, and they’re working with the utilities to have minor service interruptions, no more than an hour or two for most people in families.

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