WASHINGTON — Well, at least it’s getting light out. That’s the one consolation a beleaguered Chuck Penn, a spokesman for Dominion Power, was able to take in the situation in Northern Virginia on Wednesday morning, as around 8,000 customers by his estimation were still without power after Tuesday’s storms. Daylight “gives us a lot more ability to get through the rest of the restoration,” Penn told WTOP’s Mike Moss and Joan Jones at 5:40 a.m. Wednesday. The power company has additional crews coming in, “ready to engage” at about 218 locations, now that workers can see what they’re doing — always important when dealing with downed live power lines. The situation at Ox Road and Braddock Road, where broken poles and downed lines have led to the closure of most of the intersection, is “a classic example, if you want to see what we’re confronted with,” Penn said, calling it “the focal point of what we’re going to be working on.” He said about 25 poles are broken in the vicinity of the intersection. Penn expects “the lion’s share” of those without power to be back on by late afternoon, with the rest coming back on by late evening. And though it shouldn’t require mentioning, he added a plea: “Please stay away from any downed lines,” and to call if you see anything unusual.
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