Restoration efforts underway in Pittsburgh area after high winds knock out power
MT. PLEASANT, Pa. (KDKA) — Restoration efforts are underway after powerful winds tore through parts of the region, knocking down trees and powerlines.
"Luckily, we didn't have any windows break. It was probably the most nuts windstorm I've been in, excluding an actual tornado," said Donald, a homeowner in Mt. Pleasant, on Wednesday.
Several telephone poles were being repaired on Route 819 on Wednesday after the storm knocked them over. A video sent to KDKA-TV by Bruce Foster shows one of the lines catching on fire before landing on a nearby home, catching the attic on fire.
In Fayette County, another viewer sent KDKA-TV video of a roof being torn off a mobile home in Hibbs. Todd Endsley said no one was living in the home and it was in the process of being torn down.
"It was nuts. I spent two hours running around collecting my crap and my neighbor's crap out of the yards and reorganizing everything," Donald said. "There was a trampoline blowing around, causing havoc."
As cleanup continues, the Insurance Federation of Pennsylvania reminds homeowners of what to do if they have damage on their property.
"You want to call your insurer or your agent as quickly as possible to make sure that the insurer is aware of what happened and can act accordingly to begin to mitigate the damage and fix the problems has been caused," said Jonathan Greer, the president and CEO of the Insurance Federation of Pennsylvania.
He cautions homeowners to watch out for what they call storm chasers, contractors that show up at your doorstep offering to make repairs.
"If you didn't call them, if you don't know who they are, be wary of them. In the same vein, be mindful of any documents that are put in front of you by such a person and don't make an emotionally charged decision and sign the document that you don't fully understand that could bind you in a way going forward that may not be to your benefit," Greer said.
He said homeowners should stick with trusted companies through their homeowner's insurance. It's also suggested to take pictures and video of the damage. Greer said for those who didn't experience any damage, familiarize yourself with your homeowner's policy.
"Use this as an opportunity to look at your home or policy, call your agent with any questions because it's always good to have knowledge before that as opposed to trying to figure out things after an event. So just you know, knowledge is the best key look to this kind of situation. So, for all the for all of your viewers looking at your policy before you have claims always good advice," Greer said.
About 4,000 customers remain without power in Westmoreland County as of Wednesday afternoon. West Penn Power said 9,000 were without power on Tuesday when the storm hit.
"We have 4,000 customers who are remaining without power. The majority of those are in the Pleasant Valley and Latrobe areas. We do have crews working through some challenging conditions trying to restore power as quickly and safely as they can," Will Boye said, a spokesperson with West Penn Power. "We brought on 25 additional line crews to help us with that effort. We can bring on additional contractors in alignment if we need it but we are making some good progress. Like I said, we've reduced the number of customers affected by about 50% since yesterday afternoon."
For updates on how soon the power could be restored in your area, click here.