Widespread power outages that could last days leave some customers frustrated

RENNERDALE, Pa. — Neighbors in Rennerdale were relieved when their lights were turned back on by 10 p.m. Monday. Earlier in the day, Duquesne Light told them they could be in the dark for up to three days.

Todd Kwasniewski said he’s used to having the power go out in his neighborhood this year.

“This is I think the sixth time,” he said.

He was throwing logs into the fireplace to heat his home on Elwyn Avenue. He bought a generator just to keep his fridge running.

“See how I have to rerack the kitchen and pull out the fridge and plug in extension cords everywhere,” Kwasniewski said.

Kwasniewski is one of 50,000 Duquesne Light customers whose lights went out when strong winds swept through the area Sunday night.

>> Duquesne Light Company estimates all impacted services will be restored by Jan. 1

Bonnie Shields in Morningside said her windows were rattling.

“I could hear how hard that wind was blowing, so I was afraid that one of my windows would just...crack up and fall apart,” Shields said.

By Monday evening, only about 4,100 Duquesne Light customers were still without power and the company said it might not be restored until 10 p.m. on New Year’s Day.

Kwasniewski said his family had a party planned for the holiday and bought a lot of food that he feared would spoil.

What’s more frustrating to some neighbors on Elwyn Avenue is some houses on the street have power while others don’t. Kwasniewski’s sister-in-law’s house is just a few feet away from his, but their power was restored several hours earlier.

“You could throw a stone over there, and they have power and we don’t, and everybody has power over there,” Kwasniewski said before his power was turned back on.

Around the corner on Walker Avenue, Cindy and David Nervo’s generator is just enough to power their basement lights and fridge.

“We have no heat, no phone, no cable, no internet,” Cindy Nervo said. “It’s just frustrating because our electricity has been going out. I think within the last month it’s been out about three times.”

The couple told Channel 11 their neighbors a block and a half away have power.

“It’s crazy,” said David Nervo.

His wife agreed.

“I’ve never had power outages as often and as long of an outage as we have had,” said Cindy Nervo.

Channel 11 asked Duquesne Light the reason why some houses on the same street would have power while others don’t. In a statement, a spokesperson explained that not all circuits can be repaired at the same time and even houses on the same street can be served by different circuits or different transformers.

Duquesne Light’s full statement reads:

“Once major circuits have been repaired, restoration efforts focus on smaller neighborhoods and groups of customers served by a single transformer. Finally, service to individual homes and businesses is restored as crews repair ‘service drops,’ which are the wires that bring electricity from the nearest pole to an individual building.

“During outages, some customers may have power restored while their neighbors remain without service. This may occur because not all circuits are repaired at the same time and different circuits may serve different parts of the same neighborhood. Even houses on the same street might be served by different circuits or different transformers.

“In major storms, some customers may remain without power longer because the electrical lines are temporarily inaccessible to work crews due to fallen trees, flooding, ice or other conditions that must be addressed before the electrical facilities can be safely repaired.

“Just remember we’re constantly working. We will get to your outage no matter what.”

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