MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis Light, Gas and Water (MLGW) reports that nearly 28,000 customers are still without power as of 5p.m. Wednesday, June 28.
In a press release Tuesday, MLGW CEO Doug McGowen said the thunderstorm that hit Shelby County and surrounding areas was ranked the sixth most impactful storm in MLGW history.
According to McGowen, repair crews have completed "low-hanging fruit restoration work", and repair teams will now work on more complex outages.
McGowen said the low-grade repair work that has been done includes rerouting power and restoring power to substations and large circuits, which ultimately results in thousands of customers being relieved with each repair.
Unfortunately, the remaining outages are more complex outages, which means repairs will take more time, only restoring power for some 12 to a few hundred customers at a time, McGowen said.
McGowen described the remaining repairs as "hand to hand combat" restoration work, emphasizing that it will take more time and a lot more resources to meet the goal.
The utility company is still asking customers to be patient as crews work aggressively to resolve outages caused by storm damage. McGowen said the company's main goal is to fix outages as quickly as possible without creating further damage or onsetting other emergencies.
McGowen said repair crews will work around the clock until power is restored for all customers, but there is currently no "firm" estimated time of completion for repairs.
McGowen also said customers should prepare for several more days without power.
The utility company said 100 electric repair crews will work to repair damages Wednesday.
In addition to the 100 electric repair crews, there are also 40 troubleshooter crews, 79 tree cutting crews and 50 damage assessment crews working to repair damages.
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris declared a local state of emergency on Tuesday, June 27, as MLGW continues its efforts to restore power and resolve more complex outages throughout the city.
MLGW said repair crews have restored power for 74,000 customers, reporting that more than 120,000 customers lost power after Sunday's thunderstorm.
