MOUNT VERNON – AEP Ohio reported that power was restored to approximately 16,000 Mount Vernon and Knox County customers by 10 p.m. on Wednesday.
AEP Ohio and AEP Transmission had to restore power after two 138-kilovolt high-voltage transmission lines tripped from service after contacting trees, according to a press release issued at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The lines are part of the transmission network that feeds electricity to AEP Ohio’s distribution substations in the area.
AEP Ohio had 14 substations out of service, affecting more than 16,000 customers in the Mount Vernon and Newark areas.
The utility company reported the power outage affected homes and businesses in Mount Vernon, other parts of Knox County and part of Licking County.
Mount Vernon Mayor Matt Starr was asked how the power outage was affecting critical services.
“I understand that critical users have backup generators,” he said. “Dispatch has a generator, too.”
Knox Community Hospital had to close a few offices due to the power outage on Wednesday.
“When that happens, the offices put an updated greeting on their phones, put out signs and we typically update our website,” Alice Hutzel-Bateson, director of marketing, public relations and development, told the Mount Vernon News.
She said the hospital has experienced many challenges in the past but has a dedicated team of professionals who respond quickly to minimize the impact on patients.
AEP Ohio crews were on-site and in the air via helicopter at 5:30 p.m., inspecting and assessing the situation to determine the damage to equipment so power restoration could begin. Additional crews were staged to assist with restoration efforts, which concluded by 10 p.m.
Starr reported a power outage at City Hall at approximately 1:45 p.m. during a news conference call.
“We are still without power,” he said at 3:30 p.m. on July 5. Starr said power was out in Apple Valley, Mount Vernon and other Knox locations.
An AEP Ohio field representative told the city that power restoration would likely start around 4:30 to 5 p.m., but not every outage would be restored immediately.
Power outages were reported south of Knox in Licking County, with 1,861 customer outages at 4:15 p.m. Wednesday, according to AEP Ohio. Neighboring Morrow County had 307 reported outages, and Delaware County had 554 outages.
Customers can check their power outage status and that of the county or a ZIP code area through their customer login or an outage map on AEP Ohio’s website or in its app. Customers can also use the website and app to report outages.
