Gahanna, Ohio(Sept. 20, 2008) –AEP Ohio urges customers to remember that there are still areas in its service territory where there are trees that have fallen onto power lines and other areas where there are downed power lines. Every downed power line should be considered energized and the public is urged to stay away from those sites.
 
In addition, if a downed power line is energized the tree that has fallen into it could also be energized. The public, especially children who may be outside playing, should stay far away from trees that have fallen into power lines.

AEP Ohio also reminds customers that it cannot connect power to any home or business where there is damage to the service entrance. The service entrance is the area located 1) at the meter, 2) between the meter and the home’s electrical panel, or 3) the location where AEP Ohio’s cable connects to the home/business owner’s cable. Customers need to have a qualified electrician repair this damage before power can be restored to the home or business.

Ohio Power customers own and are responsible for the entire electric service entrance and the wiring inside it, as well as the breaker or fuse box on the inside of the house. With underground service, the customer’s responsibility starts at the meter box. Columbus Southern Power customers also are responsible for this equipment with the exception of the meter box, which is owned by CSP. To learn more, customers may visit this website: http://www.aepohio.com/news/outages/restorationready.asp.
 
Tree crews work closely with line repair crews to clear storm debris so that restoration efforts can proceed. The need to remove large trees delays restoration work. Crews cut limbs only to the extent required to install lines.

Customers need to know that AEP Ohio or its contractors do not remove storm (tree) debris and will move the debris only if it is necessary to facilitate the restoration effort. Crews stopping to remove debris would significantly increase the amount of time required to restore service to all customers.

AEP Ohio is working hard to restore power as quickly and safely as possible and understand customers´ concerns over when their power will be restored. The company appreciates the ongoing patience of its customers. The telephone number for AEP Ohio’s 24-hour Customer Solutions Center is 1-800-277-2177.
 
AEP Ohio provides electricity to nearly 1.5 million customers of major AEP subsidiaries Columbus Southern Power Company and Ohio Power Company in Ohio, and Wheeling Power Company in the northern panhandle of West Virginia. AEP Ohio is based in Gahanna, Ohio. The company serves all or part of 61 counties in Ohio and two in West Virginia.

American Electric Power is one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering electricity to more than 5 million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation’s largest generators of electricity, owning nearly 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system, a nearly 39,000-mile network that includes more 765 kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined. AEP’s transmission system directly or indirectly serves about 10 percent of the electricity demand in the Eastern Interconnection, the interconnected transmission system that covers 38 eastern and central U.S. states and eastern Canada, and approximately 11 percent of the electricity demand in ERCOT, the transmission system that covers much of Texas. AEP’s utility units operate as 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 and east Texas). AEP’s headquarters are in Columbus, Ohio.