Storm cleanup, power restoration continues across the Miami Valley

KETTERING, Ohio ( WDTN ) — Thousands are still without power after the remnants of Hurricane Helene hammered the Miami Valley on Friday.

Crews are still working to clean up the damage caused by heavy rain and fierce winds and restore power after powerlines went down and transformers exploded. More than 72 hours after the storm came through the region, some families are still in the dark.

At the peak of Friday’s storm, AES reported more than 136,000 customers were impacted by power outages. As of 5 p.m. Monday, more than 8,000 are still without power.

“So with our crews, we also asked for additional assistance from neighboring states,” said Mary Ann Kabel, AES Ohio spokesperson.

AES Ohio says their crews are working to get power restored to everyone, but the need for national resources in Florida and other areas impacted by the hurricane made recovery challenging. More than 200 crews have been dispatched across the Miami Valley.

“We have not been able to pull from resources we have in the past due to their commitment to other obligations, supporting other areas that were impacted by Hurricane Helene,” said Kabel.

On Shroyer Road in Kettering, a transformer has been down since Friday blocking off the debris-filled road.

“Considering the circumstances with the trees and the vegetation and the wind. It did extensive damage to our service territory,” said Kabel.

Those living near the area say much of Patterson Park has had power restored over the last 24 hours. With crews working around the clock, families say they are not sure whow long they will have to wait for power to be restored.

“I just would like to be more kept up when we can maybe have an idea. Maybe they don’t know. I don’t know. Maybe they have to get parts, I don’t know. But just not having any communication makes it a guessing game,” said Terri Bell, Kettering resident.

AES encourages people to continue reporting any outages or downed lines in their area.

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