Storms cut power to thousands in Hampton Roads

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Storms moving through Hampton Roads and northeast North Carolina knocked out power for thousands of Dominion Energy customers on Tuesday.

Dominion Energy officials say in Norfolk’s Oakwood neighborhood, a tree fell onto a power line around 7:30 a.m., cutting electricity to about 3,540 customers. Smart sensors automatically restored service to 650 homes and businesses, while crews restored the rest just before 9 a.m.

Earlier, around 7 a.m., a separate equipment failure in the same area caused another outage that affected about 2,595 customers. Power was restored to all but 20 by shortly after 8 a.m., with the remaining customers expected to be back online later today.

Dominion said both outages were tied to a substation serving several neighborhoods and commercial areas, not just a single intersection.

As of noon on Tuesday, Dominion Energy spokesperson Cherise Newsome told 13News Now there were already about 25,000 power outages across the area. 

“Our crews are on deck and working around the clock,” Newsome explained, “we staged our crews in the areas we expect to be hardest hit.”

13News Now witnessed a Dominion Energy crew actively fixing an outage in Portsmouth on Vick Street this afternoon. Newsome said some of the main threats that create power outages during storms are heavy winds and flooding.

“Mother Nature can pack a bit of a punch, so when those strong winds come in, that can cause trees and tree limbs to fall onto power lines, leading to outages,” Newsome said.

If you see a downed power line, always assume it is energized and do not approach it, and if your power goes out, do not wait; contact Dominion Energy right away so a crew can react quickly. 

“We want to encourage customers to call us if you experience an outage,” Newsome explained, “don’t assume your neighbor has done it. Make sure that we’re aware.”

Call 1-866-366-4357 to report downed power lines. You can also report power outages on Dominion’s website.