More than a million customers were without power across the state Monday after remnants from Hurricane Ike blew near-record winds across Ohio.
According to the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, the power outages affected 1.5 million customers in 83 counties across the state.
At 11:20 a.m. Monday, American Electric Power reported more than 289,000 customers without power in Franklin County, 33,000 customers in Licking County, 18,000 customers in Fairfield County and 35,000 customers in Delaware County, 10TV News reported.
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AEP spokeswoman Terri Flora said it may take up to a week for power to be restored to all customers.
"This is more significant than the ice storm (in 2004)," Flora said.
South Central Power reported more than 111,000 customers without power in the state Monday morning. Outage figures were not available for City of Columbus electricity customers.
Many power companies, including AEP, sent crews to Texas to assist in hurricane repairs. AEP said that crews were recalled back to Ohio. Electric companies from other states were also offering help in restoring power.
In Fairfield County, Sheriff Dave Phalen said the telephone line at the sheriff's office was down. People in the county with non-emergency calls should contact 740-681-5562, Phalen said.
Columbus City Schools was among nearly 300 schools in central Ohio that were closed on Monday because of the power outages. Other districts that canceled classes include Bexley, Grove City, Hilliard, Reynoldsburg, South-Western, Upper Arlington and Worthington.
Winds tore off part of the roof of Blacklick Elementary School in Gahanna. All Gahanna schools were closed Monday.
Capital University canceled classes Monday at its Bexley campus. The buildings, including dormitories, had no power, and winds knocked over a large tree on the campus.
Stay with 10TV News and 10TV.com for additional information.
