AEP announces $1 million contribution to Greater Columbus customers impacted by power outages (2024)

Micah Walker|The Columbus Dispatch

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After being in the dark for days and without refrigeration or air conditioning during the hottest week of the year so far,less than 60American Electric Power customers remained without power in Franklin County as of 4:15 p.m. Friday.

Statewide, however, more than 20,200AEP customers remained without power as of 4:15 p.m.Friday, according to American Electric Power Ohio's outage map. They were among a total of more than 40,000 Ohio customers who were still without electricity late Friday afternoon, which included large numbers of customers of First Energy and a Holmes County area cooperative.

Knox and Holmes counties as well as the Wooster and Mansfield areas remained the largest areas without service.

Power outage: AEP Ohio intentionally shut off power to some Greater Columbus neighborhoods. Here's why

AEP making $1 million contribution to relieve residents affected by outages

AEPannounced Friday that the company will contribute $1 million to assistGreaterColumbus residents who were financially impacted by the power outages.

The company is partnering with local organizations such as the Columbus Urban League and IMPACT Community Action. LIfe Care Alliance and the Mid-Ohio Food Collective for theinitiative.

"This week, extreme storms, followed by extremely hot weather resulted in a unique situation where power outages throughout Columbus had to be taken to prevent wider spread outages, which created challenges for many Franklin County residents," the company said in a statement.

AEP said the $1 million will be funded throughthe AEP Ohio Fund of the Columbus Foundation and "will be used to help relieve financial burdens these residents experienced as a result of this highly unique event."

People can also seek assistance through AEP's Neighbor to Neighbor Program and Franklin County Job and Family Service's Food Assistance Program.

SNAPrecipients may receive benefits for food spoilage

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients who experienced food spoilage during thepower outages may be eligible for replacement benefits, said the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services in a news release.

Households that lost food purchased with SNAP benefits due to a power outage of four hours or more can apply to receive replacement SNAP benefits for the amount of food the household lost. However, the amountshouldnot exceed their monthly allotment. Replacement SNAP benefits will be added to recipients'Ohio Direction Card, said the agency.

Impacted households must complete JFS Form 07222 within 10 days of the loss and submit it to their county Department of Job and Family Services.In order for thecounty agenciesto verify the extended power outage before replacing benefits, Job and Family Servicesencourage households to provide verification of the extended power outage. This can include screen shots of news reports, text or email alerts, or outage maps that show their specific area was without power for four hours or more.

To find a county office,visit jfs.ohio.gov/county.

Ohio Manufacturers' Association presidentcalling for investigation

Ryan Augsburger,president of the Ohio Manufacturers' Association, is among those calling for an investigation of AEP's actions.

"Customers deserve to know the cause for the outages, as well as steps that could have been taken to prevent intentional load shedding," he said. "Customers also deserve insight into how billions of dollars of ratepayer funds have been spent to improve grid resiliencyso we can be assured the system is working properly.”

NAACP questioning AEP's methods for shutting offpower

The Columbus branch of the NAACP said it had questions about the decisions that were made to shut off power in certain areas but not others. The organization held a news conference encouraging AEP to explain its process for the intentional shutoffs.

"The majority of areas without electric were in the urban community, which is indication there may be some biases," the NAACP said in a news release.

The organization has requested AEP to answer questions about the outages, such as the selection of neighborhoods where power was turned off and did the company notify residents, government and social services agencies in Franklin County about the outages beforehand.

"The NAACP's concern is that these outageswill add to the list of health, environmental,and crimes rates in these communities," the organization said.

COSI, Veterans museum offer free admission to keep residents cool

The National Veterans Memorial and Museum is offering free admission Thursday and Friday to help the Columbus community cool off and gain inspiration through veteran stories and artwork.

The museum, 300 W. Broad St., is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

COSI will be open for free to the public on Thursday until 5 p.m. as well due to the extreme heat and local power outages.The Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes exhibition is not included, however.

The museum is located at 333 W. Broad St.

AEP asking Columbus-area residents to reduce electric usage.

In light of rising temperatures again Thursday, AEP officials put out a call for Greater Columbus customersto reduce unnecessary electric usage through 7 p.m. with the goal of reducing the chances of more outages.

Ways to help include:

  • Turning thermostatup a few degrees
  • Closing curtains
  • Avoiding doing laundry or washing dishes
  • Turning off unnecessary lights or appliances

AEP will not reimburse customers for spoiled food

AEP said via email Thursfay that theytypically donotreimburse forperishable items lost during an outage, butcustomers are welcome to submit a claim for review.

People can file a claim online ataepclaims.com.

"When outages are caused by storms, under our approved terms and conditions of service, customers are not eligible to be reimbursed," the companysaid. "We recommend they check their homeowner’s or renter’s insurance for any lost items."

Customers can also request an outage verification letter to request emergency food assistance from local food pantries and nonprofits by contacting AEP'scall center at 800-672-2231.

People can seek additional information online ataepohio.com/assistance.

Homeowners insurance also can cover spoiled food costs

Certain homeowners insurance may also help cover the cost of lost food.

According to the Insurance Information Institute, insurance companies usually will cover up to $500 of food that spoils from a power outage caused by a covered perilunder standard homeowners insurance policies. However, food spoilage coverage may include a $500 deductible, which means someinsurance companies may only pay if the policyholder suffered more than $500 in foodlosses.

If policyholderswant more than $500 in coverage, an insurer might offer additional spoiled-food coverage, but it will come at an extra cost, according to Forbes.

Somehomeinsurancecompanies will cover food spoilage claims if a policyholder'sutility company is at fault for the power outage, as was the case for manyAEP customers. A person'spolicy might cover a food-loss claim prompted by a rolling blackout or another planned power outage, the magazine said.

Insurance companies like State Farm, AllState and USAA offer coverage on spoiled food, but it may depend on what type of policy a person has.

Why Columbus got slammed by a massive power outage

On Tuesday and Wednesday, more than 230,000AEP Ohio customers werewithout power afterintentional outages were conducted to protect the power grid, including outages affecting more than 169,000 in the Columbus area.

The outages were a result of powerful storms Monday night into Tuesday that toppled AEP transmission lines.

The day after the storms, multiple additional transmission lines in the AEP service area tripped out of service, according to PJM Interconnection, which oversees the flow of electricity in all or parts of 13 states and the District of Columbia, including all of Ohio.

Power outage food safety: How long is food good in the fridge and freezer after a power outage?

This caused surrounding lines to overload beyond safe levels.To prevent damage to equipment and the risk of cascading outages across a broader area, PJM directed AEP to lower flows across the overloaded lines by reducing load.

"Our regional grid has enough power to serve all customers, even during this heat-wave," PJM said. "The reason for most of the current outages is that there is not enough transmission capacity in service to get that power to every customer. AEP is working hard to restore these transmission lines. As soon as the lines are restored, PJM will coordinate their return to the grid."

Electricity restored by AEP earlier than originally expected

AEP said Wednesday that electricity wasexpected to be restored by 5 a.m. Thursday to all Columbus-area customers impacted by the emergency outage —about 19 hours earlier than first estimated.AEP previously estimated a restoration time of 11:59 p.m. Thursday for much of central Ohio.

Not the new normal: AEP says 'very, very unusual occurrence' causing outages

While the utility did not make that revised deadline, the earlier restoration time was due tocrews makingsignificant progress repairing damage to the transmission lines that bring energy to the Columbus area. The repairs allowedAEP tobegin restoring power to substations and customers in the Columbus area beginning in the early morning hours Thursday, AEP said.

Once power is restored to the Columbus area, AEP said it expects "the power grid in the Columbus area to operate as it normally would, even as temperatures rise. We will continue to monitor system performance throughout the day (Thursday) and provide any updates as needed."

The potential impact of more severe weather moving forward

High temperatures in the mid- to upper-90s are expected Thursday along with the possibility of severe weather in the early evening hours, AEP noted.

On Wednesday, power in some neighborhoods came back on only to go off later as temperatures— and demand for power— climbed.

"We do not know what, if any, impacts the weather may bring, but we have crews ready to work on any outages that might occur," AEP said.

Many rural customers still facing large outages

While Columbus-area power is being restored, thousands of AEP's customers in more rural parts of Ohio remain without electricity. More than 4,000 customers in each of Knox, Holmes and Wayne counties, where storms hit particularly hard, were without power as of 9:30 Thursday morning.

Other counties with large outages include Tuscarawas, Richland and Coshocton.

Power should come back on for most areas Thursday, but it may be Saturday before power is fully restored throughout the state.

Dispatch reporters Mark Williams and Jim Weiker contributed to this report.

Micah Walker is the Dispatch trending reporter.Reach her at mwalker@dispatch.com or740-251-7199.Follow her on Twitter @micah_walker701.

AEP announces $1 million contribution to Greater Columbus customers impacted by power outages (2024)

FAQs

AEP announces $1 million contribution to Greater Columbus customers impacted by power outages? ›

We also made a $1 million financial contribution funded by the AEP Ohio Fund of the Columbus Foundation that was used to help respond to the impacts residents experienced as a result of the highly unique storm-related event.

Why did AEP shut off power in Ohio? ›

AEP says the decision to shut off power in some neighborhoods was done to keep outages from spreading and making it even harder and longer to restore power.

What is the number one cause of power outages in the US? ›

Transmission -Transmission lines move electricity generated in a distant location to locations closer to where people live. Damage to transmission lines creates disruptions across larger geographic areas than damage to distribution or customer equipment and can threaten grid stability if not properly managed.

How many customers does aep have in Ohio? ›

Backed by a support team in Gahanna, Ohio, our army of engineers and lineworkers energize communities and local economies, while creating boundless opportunities for 1.5 million Ohioans.

What is the difference between aep ohio and aep energy? ›

AEP Energy is a competitive retail electric service provider and a competitive retail natural gas service provider and an affiliate of Ohio Power Company (AEP Ohio). AEP Energy is not soliciting on behalf of and is not an agent of AEP Ohio.

Why is my electricity bill so high in Ohio? ›

It's normal for the number of days in each billing cycle to change from month to month. More days per cycle will cause your bill to be higher. You can see the number of days in your billing cycle on the front page of your bill.

Can utilities be shut off right now in Ohio? ›

Disconnection can only occur during normal business hours. Consumers are entitled to a second ten-day notice before any disconnection occurring on and after Nov. 1 until and including April 15.

Which US state has the most power outages? ›

With the most annual power outages, Maine is surely left in the dark. The Pine Tree State tops the list with an average of 4.35 power outages every year, a stark increase above the national average of 1.62 per year.

What is the biggest power outage in history? ›

The largest power outage in history by number of people affected took place in Northern India. On 30 and 31 July 2012, two severe blackouts occurred, the second of which affected some 670 million people—half the country's population, or almost 10% of the world's population.

What country gets the most power outages? ›

Papua New Guinea has more than 500 power cuts per year - the highest of any country. Whether it is a brief cut in power or a nationwide blackout, power outages can be highly inconvenient for businesses.

Who owns AEP Ohio? ›

Is AEP Ohio a fixed rate? ›

AEP Energy offers a variety of fixed-rate electricity plans, which means you'll know what you'll pay per kilowatt-hour no matter the length of your contract.

Is AEP a nuclear power plant? ›

AEP owns and operates the Donald C. Cook nuclear power plant. This accounts for 6% of the generation portfolio.

How do I opt out of AEP Ohio? ›

If you do not wish to be included on this list, complete this form, or call AEP Ohio at 1.888. 237.5566, or write to us at 1 AEP Way, Hurricane, WV 25526. If you have previously made a similar election, your name will continue to be excluded from the list without any additional action on your part.

Did AEP raise rates in Ohio? ›

From 2022 to 2024, the electricity provider has moved to raise prices at least three times, with two already in effect with approval from the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio. A fourth price increase is on the way, as PUCO approved a $154 million transmission charge bill, also known as a rider, for AEP.

Is AEP only in Ohio? ›

AEP's family of companies includes utilities AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana, east Texas and the Texas ...

Why did the power suddenly turn off? ›

It can stem from inclement weather conditions, human error, equipment failure, and even animal interference. Scheduled maintenance can also cause a power outage, though this is usually communicated to households in advance by the utility company.

Why has my power shut off? ›

What causes a power cut at home? There are a few things that cause loss of power at home. These are often minor, such as faulty appliances that cause fuses to blow and circuit breakers to trip, and these are easy to fix. A disruption to The National Grid usually causes an actual power cut.

What year did the power grid go out in Ohio? ›

The August 14 blackout--massive as it was--was only one of 56 federally declared disasters in 2003.

Why power is getting cut? ›

Examples of these causes include faults at power stations, damage to electric transmission lines, substations or other parts of the distribution system, a short circuit, cascading failure, fuse or circuit breaker operation.

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