Severe weather brought by Hurricane Helene didn’t just hit the eastern seaboard: Its destructive path hit AEP Ohio’s service territory as well. Heavy rain and strong winds Friday, Sept. 27 toppled trees that damaged our equipment and tore down power lines – particularly in the more forested areas of southern Ohio.

Approximately 83,000 AEP Ohio customers lost power at the height of the storm. Over the course of five days, 1,400 line, tree and support personnel worked around the clock to access and repair hard-to-reach damage in difficult terrain, often with the help of drones and specialized equipment. The restoration effort involved 52,000 hours worked in the field at 1,650 unique repair locations.

Here are some photos taken during the cleanup. Tap or click an image to view full size.

 

 

29 responses to “PHOTOS: How Hurricane Helene Affected Ohio

    1. As someone who owns a home in Ohio and in Florida, you do not want them buried. It takes far longer to get power back because buried lines and transformer pads get damaged by tree root balls getting yanked up and by equipment used for cleanups hitting them. This was proven by Hurricane Andrew 32 years ago and still holds true today.

  1. I live in Ohio. It amazes me how y’all work together and go where you are needed. I know it’s a very dangerous job so please be careful, most of you have families where you came from. Prayers go out to each and every one of you. Be safe, be careful and always be alert. Thank you for the job you do, you are very much appreciated!

  2. THANK YOU to you & your employees for working tirelessly to restore electricity to so many people without electric.
    I’m sure there is a lot of risk with what you do.
    Just wanted let your team know you are appreciated

  3. My prayers are with the folks that got hit by Hurricane Helene. I was differently bless here in the south central Ohio side. My electric did flicker off and on for a while but it didn’t go out. No damage to my property at all. All I can stay is Thank you Jesus!

  4. I want to Thank all of the crews who work tirelessly to keep the lights on for all of us ! My nephew Jason Sanders is a lineman for AEP and we are so proud of the work he does !! We never forget to thank a lineman !

  5. As always, I appreciate the efforts of line crews, assessing crews and all in evolved in restoration . Well done AEP !

  6. Thank you all so much for what you do. Most of us just take electricity for granted until it goes out. Praying for you all, stay safe out there! 😃

  7. My area was not affected by power loss, but I want to say, AEP responds quickly when there is a need. I am grateful for all the linemen who are out there in the worst weather!

  8. Thank you, AEP, for such dedication and diligence in always taking care of us, every day. Though we did not lose power we know all the folks who were affected by Helene appreciate all you did to help them get back to normal. Deep thanks to all of you!

  9. I was driving in the wind event. I hadn’t heard any severe weather advisories and was caught by surprise. It was unreal.
    Then not having electricity at the flip of a light switch is a reality check. So grateful our power was restored in four days. You work in dangerous and exhausting conditions. Power on!

  10. When I worked for AEP in eastern Ohio (retired now), I helped assess storm damage for the line crews, and I can attest to how hard and diligently the crews work to restore power in very challenging situations. For example, there are remote areas in the system that are inaccessible to mechanized equipment, so poles have to be carried to the site and set by hand. Work like this is not only back breaking but is very time consuming. Spending a few days with a line crew performing restoration would give a new perspective and appreciation for what they do.

  11. Amazing pictures. Thank you for all you do to help restore power to those in need. Safety is important in all you. Safe travels

  12. A big Thank You to all who are working during Hurricane Helene Recovery.
    On a personal note, I know how important all your efforts are, Sept 27, 2024
    I was talking with my son who lives in Hendersonville, NC and I live in Ohio
    and at that time we did not know about the devastation but after saying our
    good byes and hour later I could not make contact with him, either by cell
    phone, power, etc but we have a lot to be thankful for, couple days later received a call from him and he and family are safe and not much damage. The neighbor
    next door was not so lucky, couldn’t handle the stress and passed away. So all
    your efforts are noticed and appreciated. One happy mother.

  13. My wife & I would like to thank everyone who worked hard to restore our power. It was not an easy task & we realize how dangerous of a job it is. We had two people on our property assessing damage & they were very courteous & we appreciated their honesty that it would take several days to get things up & going. We also appreciated the update texts from AEP.

  14. I know the job is hard in good weather and bad makes so much more dangerous.
    So I know it take time to be safe and stii do it wright . Keep up the good work!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *