If you had damage because of the outage, better report it

Did you experience a power outage during the night of June 17? We live in the area of Oliver Beltz Road and Cresap Mill Road, and we lost our power around 2 a.m.

We experienced sparks flying from an outlet and a breaker being thrown. Our neighbors had damage to their refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines, televisions, radios and game consoles.

One family had damage to the outside meter; another had to repair their hot tub.

The outage affected more than a dozen households in a 2-mile radius, resulting in thousands of dollars in damages. I do not know how many others experienced a failure.

If you have not reported your losses to Allegheny Power, please do so. They need an accounting of all losses.

The procedure for reporting is a phone call, the agent makes a report to our local office and then the customer will be contacted for your statement and report of damages. The phone number is 1-800-255-3443.

I spoke with Rick and Doris with Allegheny Power and said we had a power surge, and both told me that the power company would not pay damages if the failure was an act of nature. They would pay on a damage claim if the outage was found to be fault of power equipment or their repair staff.

We understand that there was a problem at the sub-station in Flintstone; however, several neighbors are getting the impression that Allegheny Power is blaming a thunderstorm and are being told to make claims on homeowners insurance.

Please make your phone calls or send letters. This investigation of claims should not be attributed to an act of nature without a thorough reporting.

Linda Custer

Oldtown