American Electric Power (AEP) Ohio announced on Friday that nearly 140,000 customers have had their power restored following a severe wind storm that ripped through our region Feb. 11.

Power is expected to be back on for all customers in Portsmouth and Ironton by midnight Monday, Feb. 16. Power is also expected to be back on for all customers in Chillicothe by noon Sunday, Feb. 15, and in Chesapeake by midnight that same day.

The outage was an added inconvenience for many who also lost power — some for days or weeks — during a major ice storm last month.

“We regret that this severe weather event took place,” said Joe Hamrock, AEP Ohio president and chief operating officer. “The storm produced extremely difficult conditions for everyone, including our employees who are rebuilding our damaged electrical distribution system.”

The wind storm reportedly affected about 167,500 homes and businesses, and AEP reports 17,000 customers still remain without power. AEP customers are encouraged to call the AEP Ohio Customer Solutions Center at 1-800-277-2177 to report their outage, especially if they notice other homes or businesses in their area have power. West Virginia customers should call 1-800-852-6942.

RYAN SCOTT OTTNEY can be reached at (740) 353-3101, ext. 235.