Power Restored to Highland Street Neighborhood

The that toppled onto power lines on 34th Street near Highland Street during Irene has been cut down and the power restored to the neighborhood.

PPL Electric Utilities spokesman Joe Nixon said the power was restored Wednesday to that section of South Whitehall, after crews had cut down the large tree from the lines in the morning. A resident said the power came on at 11:35 a.m. 

Several of the neighbors had been since 1 a.m. on Sunday.

According to PPL Electric Utilities outage map, 38 township residents still remain without power. As of this morning, PPL is reporting that 10,600 of its customers – out of 350,000 who were initially affected – still do not have electricity. 

PPL said manpower is being directed to trouble spots as areas are restored. 

Nixon said crews have been working 16-hour days to restore power. Areas in which there were critical facilities such as hospitals were restored first, followed by areas affecting the largest number of customers, he said. "This storm is one for the record books," he said.