Power crews and tree cutters alike are preparing for another severe weather blast.
High winds are in the forecast for early Friday morning, a little more than two weeks after storms caused major damage and widespread power outages in our region.
“Unprecedented is truly what I’d call it,” Val Brown of Lebo Trees told Channel 11. “I, personally, have never seen anything like this before. We’re still cleaning up debris.”
She says her crew was working 18-hour days for he first week and a half following the April 29 event.
“My concern now with the ground being saturated and the high winds is anything coming uprooted,” she said. “Anything that’s currently laying down could be a danger if it’s windy.”
Downed trees, of course, can create major problems for power companies. Hundreds of thousands of customers were affected two weeks ago. A West Penn Power rep tells us they are bolstering their numbers ahead of the storm.
“We can bring in additional linemen and resources as necessary, depending upon the extent of the weather,” West Penn Power spokesperson Will Boye said.
Meanwhile, Brown says her company is on heightened alert.
“It is definitely something that’s concerning.”
Channel 11 also reached out to Duquesne Light, but the company declined to answer our questions.
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