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DELPHOS - A third of Delphos remains without power today as AEP crews wait for a part to bring he rest of the city online.
According to Mayor Michael Gallmeier, power outages in the city are sometimes sporadic. The main areas affected are North Main Street and areas west of North Main to State Route 66.
“In some areas there seems to be no rhyme or reason where people have power and they don’t,” Gallmeier said.
Residents who need to cool off can visit the Delphos Municipal Swimming Pool, which reopened Sunday.
Safety Service Director Greg Berquist announced wood chippers will be available at the big item recycle on Saturday in the parking lot across from the municipal building on Canal Street. Residents can begin dropping off tree debris for chipping Wednesday.
Delphos Kiwanis Club member Jamey Wisher said Fourth of July activities are going on as planned with the pedal boat races on Tuesday the only event canceled. The Optimist Club Fishing Derby will be held on Wednesday as scheduled, just moved a little north on the Miami-Erie Canal.
By 6 p.m. Sunday, AEP Ohio had restored power to more than 250,000 of the 660,000 customers affected by the catastrophic storms that moved through the state Friday. A line of new storms resulted in 20,000 additional customer outages Sunday evening.
Approximately 435,000 customers remain without power at 9 p.m. Sunday. At the peak of the storm on Friday, approximately 45 percent of AEP Ohio customers were without power.
Approximately 12,096 Allen County customers without power Sunday; 5,436 in Putnam County; and 8,342 in Van Wert County.
Fort Jennings and Ottoville remain without power except outlying areas. Ottoville Local Schools Superintendent Scott Mangas said Fort Jennings Local Schools had power and allowed his staff to move food to the neighboring district.
“Everyone is helping each other as much as possible,” Mangas said. “It’s good to see everyone pulling together in this crisis.”
The National Guard and others have been going door to door to check on customers to be sure they have water, food and a working phone in case they would need to call 9-1-1. AEP Ohio and other utilities provided the PUCO with a list of life support customers. AEP Ohio has also stressed in the press releases distributed thus far that neighbors/family members need to check on their elderly family members and neighbors.
Approximately 300 transmission structures are down within Western Ohio district. Once these have been replaced restoring service to the substation, distribution restoration should move smoothly. Transmission issues are in the Van Wert, Haviland, Kalida,Ottawa and Columbus Grove areas.
A number of outside resources arrived in Findlay, Lima and Van Wert areas over the weekend which will expedite restoration.
AEP Ohio had restored power to more than 250,000 of the 660,000 customers affected by the catastrophic storms that moved through the state on Friday. Approximately 435,000 customers remain without power at 9 p.m Sunday.
At the peak of the storm on Friday, approximately 45 percent of AEP Ohio customers were without power.
According to press releases, AEP Ohio is working around the clock to restore service to customers as safely and quickly as possible.
Personnel dedicated to system repairs work 16 hours a day. Support resources work through the night to reconcile restoration completed during the day to prepare work packages, maps and instructions for the crews to use the following morning. Generators can cause back feed on the electric distribution system, which can cause serious injury to line crews working to restore electric service.
Call AEP Ohio at 1-800-672-2231 to report your generator. Notifying AEP Ohio protects residents and line workers as they work to restore power.
Portable generators can be useful when temporary or remote electric power is needed, but also can be hazardous if they aren't isolated properly. To properly isolate  portable generators, be careful you never connect it to an electrical outlet. Instead, appliances should be connected directly to the generator.
The Van Wert chapter of the American Red Cross continues to operate an emergency shelter at the Van Wert Middle School, 10708 SR118. Those who need assistance should arrive at the shelter with their own medication, clothes, pillow and blanket. Showers will be available and residents should bring their own soap, towels and other hygiene items. Pets will not be permitted in the shelter. If you have no other means to get to the shelter, contact the Van Wert Emergency Management Agency 419-238-1300. People who need small quantities of water can obtain them at the shelter. You should provide your own container and should receive no more then 25 gallons.
Main transmission lines north of the city of Van Wert were damaged in the storm. Power crews have rerouted electricity with priority on restoring service to health care facilities. At 8 a.m. Sunday, much of the south end of Van Wert City had power restored. AEP crews are working to establish service in the Village of Convoy, which could take another 24-48 hrs.
Only travel when necessary
Local law enforcement encourages people to stay put and only travel when necessary. Do not attempt to move any utility lines. Please remove debris to the curb area and do not put debris in the streets.
At the direction of President Obama, the Federal Emergency Management Agency(FEMA) and its federal partners continue to work closely with states affected this weekend by severe storms in parts of Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia.
Saturday night the President issued emergency disaster declarations for all counties within the states of West Virginia and Ohio in response to requests from the Governors of those states and directed FEMA to coordinate all disaster relief efforts in those states.
FEMA is strategically positioning supplies closer to impacted areas of West Virginia and Ohio. Emergency generators, needed to supply critical infrastructure such as shelters, and water are positioned in staging areas in Morgantown and Charleston, West Virginia and Columbus, Ohio to support state and local response needs.
Keeping Food Safe After a Power Outage
The power outages caused by Friday’s storm create health concerns, especially when it comes to food safety. “If people are still without power at this point, all perishable food in people’s refrigerators should be considered unsafe to eat and should be discarded,” says Kathy Luhn, Allen County Health Commissioner.
The Allen County Health Department offers the following reminders and tips.
When the power is out
Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to maintain the cold temperature.
Refrigerator - The refrigerator will keep food cold for only about 2- 4 hours if it is unopened.
Freezer - Full freezers will keep the temperature for about 48 hours (24 hours if it is half full) if the door remains closed.
When the power is restored
Determine the safety of your food.
•Refrigerator - If power has been out for more than 4 hours, all perishable foods in the refrigerator should be discarded.
• Freezer - If power has been out for more than 48 hours, do not eat the foods in your freezer. If it was less than 48 hours, and a thermometer was kept in the freezer, check the temperature when the power comes back on. If the freezer thermometer reads 41º F or below, the food is safe and may be saved. If a thermometer has not been kept in the freezer, check each package of food to determine its safety. In general, if the food still contains ice crystals it is safe to refreeze or cook. You can’t rely on appearance or odor.
Discard all perishable food such as meat, poultry, fish eggs, or leftovers. (See chart below.) If in doubt about the safety of food in your refrigerator or freezer, use boxed or canned foods, milk, and water. When in doubt, throw it out. More information is available at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/keeping_food_Safe_during_an_emergency/index.asp
DISCARD the following foods if kept over 2 hours at or above 42º F:
• Meat, poultry, fish, eggs and egg substitutes – raw or cooked
• Milk, cream, yogurt and soft cheese
• Casseroles, stews or soups
• Lunch meats and hot dogs
• Creamy-based salad dressings
• Custard, chiffon or cheese pies
• Cream-filled pastries
• Refrigerator and cookie doughs
• Discard opened mayonnaise, tartar sauce and horseradish if above 50º F for over 8 hours.
SAVE the following foods if kept at room temperature for a few days. Still, discard anything that turns moldy or has an unusual odor.
• Butter or margarine
• Hard and processed cheese
• Fresh fruits and vegetables
• Dried fruits and coconut
• Opened jars of vinegar-based salad dressings, jelly, relish, taco sauce, barbecue sauce, mustard, ketchup, olives and peanut butter
• Fruit juices
• Fresh herbs and spices
• Fruit pies, bread, rolls and muffins
• Cakes except cream-cheese, frosted, or cream-filled
• Flour and nuts
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Comments
Wow this person is very selfish & self centered!!! We live in a country that consumes over 80% of the resources & never give a thought to those who live in conditions without electricity and/or water most of their lives. Try giving "thanks" for the privilege of having so much to lose. After all it is not "ours" anyways.
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