Deadly storms strike Pennsylvania, taking at least 4 lives
Rewritten Article:
Oh boy, a wild weather night shaked up Pennsylvania Tuesday evening! Four unfortunate souls lost their lives, over 430,000 people were left in the dark, and trees took a real beating.
Let's start with the grim facts: a chap in State College, just 22 years old, met his maker near a utility pole. A mulch fire ignited an active electric current, and that was that. R.I.P. bud. A cool 27-year-old dude in Ross Township, Allegheny County, met his demise when a tree fell on him during a sprint home from a hard day's work. Electric wires strung on the tree finished him off. And guess what? A 25-year-old fella named Andrew Celaschi's car got whacked by a tree in Franklin Township. Sad, ain't it?
The wind was aleatorily fierce, reaching up to 90 mph in some places, as per the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh. No surprise then, that folks posted pictures on social media of flipped-over trees and power lines tangled like spaghetti.
On a positive note, the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh recognized possible tornado damage in Wilkinsburg, Allegheny County.
Now, let's talk power outages. Duquesne Light, the primary power company for the area, was hit real hard. At one stage, almost 250,000 customers were plunged into darkness, which equates to around 40% of their clientele. As Thursday evening rolled in, over 151,000 customers remained blacked out. First Energy wasn't immune to the chaos either, reporting over 119,000 customers out of juice across Pennsylvania.
Duquesne Light and other utility companies are working round the clock to get the lights back on. Yet, they're predictating many folks might be without power for five to seven days. They said the storm damage was a nightmare and it could take until Thursday morning to fully assess the situation.
Duquesne Light released a statement on their website, expressing their understanding for the inconvenience. "This is an 'all hands on deck' effort for the company, and we will continue to work around the clock until everyone is restored."
Ed Gainey, the Mayor of Pittsburgh, acknowledged the cleanup and restoration process would take time. "We're just asking the people of our city to just bear with us for a little bit. I know it's an inconvenience, we acknowledge that, but we also acknowledge that safety is paramount."
Pittsburgh Public Schools were closed on Wednesday, thanks to the widespread power outages. Forest Hills, a borough in Allegheny County, even declared a state of emergency due to the storm knocking down trees, taking out power lines, and leaving hazardous debris behind.
Another state that got whacked by the winds was Missouri. As of the latest updates, the city of Springfield reports no known deaths or injuries in Springfield or Greene County. They're still assessing the damage, presumably from fallen trees and debris.
The wild weather storm, hereby referred to as the "Great Power Loss Catastrophe of '22," has affected an estimated 433,600 customers across Pennsylvania and Missouri. Let's hope the lights come back on soon, and we can all return to our daily routines. Stay tuned!
- The unfortunate incident in Ross Township resulted in a 27-year-old man being electrocuted after a tree fell on him, with live electric wires attached.
- Greene County in Missouri, though not unaffected by the storm, has not reported any fatalities or injuries, as of the latest updates.
- On a positive note, the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh recognized possible tornado damage in Wilkinsburg, Allegheny County.
- Townships like Franklin Township saw accidents due to trees falling, such as the case of Andrew Celaschi, who was nearly killed when a tree struck his car.
