EPB remains hopeful power will be restored by morning

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – Earlier this morning, News 12 spoke with EPB about power outages reported over the weekend due to ongoing weather conditions.

EPB provided an update on the number of customers affected across the Tennessee Valley.

EPB spokesperson J. Ed Marston said crews were already on the ground working to restore service as quickly as possible.

“We have about six thousand three hundred customers without power right now, and we are in the process of restoring service. Crews are currently working to bring power back to about seventy five percent of those customers.”

Power outages left some homes and businesses without electricity, causing disruptions in several areas.

Marston explained that a large concentration of outages has been reported in the southern portion of the region.

“There is a pretty good concentration of outages at the very southern end, particularly in areas adjacent to St. Elmo, where we have seen a number of outages as well.”

He said the outages were caused by weather related conditions, including ice buildup on infrastructure.

“With the very cold temperatures and the continuous rain, there has been an accumulation of ice on both tree branches and the power lines themselves.”

According to Marston, EPB crews were deployed throughout affected areas and worked around the clock to respond.

“We called in crews from all over to make sure we had plenty of people available to work the storm. When cold temperatures persist and rain continues, it creates a cumulative effect, and we were prepared for that.”

Marston said EPB remains hopeful power will be restored throughout the Tennessee Valley quickly.

“We believe we will be able to restore all outages by tomorrow morning.”

As restoration efforts continue, EPB encourages customers to remain patient and stay informed as crews work to safely restore power.