Within hours of receiving a call from Allegheny Power on Saturday morning, numerous Osmose crews were mobilized and working in Western Pennsylvania to help assist in the storm recovery process.

More than 366,000 Allegheny Power customers lost power beginning Friday, Feb. 5 due to the strong winter storm that blanketed the Mid-Atlantic region with heavy, wet snow, downing trees and power lines. Allegheny Power provides electric service to more than 1.5 million customers in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, and Virginia.

In addition to their own crews working around the clock to restore service, Allegheny Power moved more than 1300 additional personnel into the areas hit by the storm. Osmose crews were part of this call-up and are currently patrolling lines and reporting damage in Western Pennsylvania. Once all lines have been patrolled and the damage assessed, it is expected that Osmose crews will help escort repair crews to the problem areas.

“Working winter storms is no easy task. In addition to the normal hazards associated with downed power lines; snow, ice, and extreme cold present their own challenges,” noted Ed Horne, Osmose vice president - operations. However, Osmose field crews are trained to operate safely despite challenging conditions. “Osmose stresses training, continuing education, communication, and personal accountability as part of its safety program,” said Horne. During the last three years, Osmose has logged more than 7 million man-hours without a lost workday incident.