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More than 1,000 employees of PPL Electric Utilities are working to restore power after the most damaging storm in the company's 83-year history.

Electricity service was interrupted to nearly 400,000 customers as Hurricane Isabel cut a path through eastern and central Pennsylvania Thursday night (9/18) and Friday morning (9/19). As of 8 a.m. Friday, 300,000 customers still were without power because of the storm.

Most of the damage resulted from broken tree limbs and falling trees from outside the utility right of way around power lines where PPL Electric Utilities prunes trees.

"We are hopeful that we will be able to restore power to many customers within 24 hours, but given the extent of the damage, we project that it will be early next week until every customer is back in service," said Robert M. Geneczko, vice president of Customer Services for PPL Electric Utilities.

Geneczko said crews are responding to more than 2,500 separate repair jobs to get all customers back into service.

PPL Electric Utilities already is beginning outreach services for customers in areas where power will be out for more than a day. The company has set up a network of local stores that will make drinking water and ice available to people at no cost in areas that have sustained extensive damage.

Also, PPL Electric Utilities will begin calling customers in areas expected to be without power for more than 24 hours.

"The people of eastern and central Pennsylvania are resilient, and we hope they will understand the extent of the damage our electric delivery system has sustained," Geneczko said. "Working together with our customers, emergency management agencies, community leaders and other companies, we will restore service as quickly and safely as possible and will we keep people informed of our progress."

PPL Electric Utilities has more than 1,000 people working on the recovery effort, including linemen, electricians, damage assessors, contractors, tree service crews and support personnel.

Supplemental help from other utilities and contractors is on the way. Some help will arrive tonight. Other crews will be available to work Saturday (9/20).

Damage is widespread across the 29 counties served by PPL Electric Utilities. PPL Electric Utilities is one of many utilities in the mid-Atlantic and southeastern United States hit hard by Isabel.

Geneczko said PPL employees will work shifts of 16 hours or more until the job is completed.

PPL Electric Utilities, a subsidiary of PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL), serves 1.3 million customers. Headquartered in Allentown, Pa., PPL Corporation controls about 11,500 megawatts of generating capacity in the United States, sells energy in key U.S. markets and delivers electricity to customers in Pennsylvania, the United Kingdom and Latin America.

SOURCE: PPL Electric Utilities

CONTACT: George Lewis, PPL Corporation, +1-610-774-5997 or Fax:
+1-610-774-5281

Web site: http://www.pplweb.com/