PECO Aims To Restore All Power Amid Freezing Temperatures

LOWER MORELAND TWP., Pa. (CBS) - The fire in Andrea Machugh's living room was more than a cozy spot to curl up.

It has been the only spot to stay warm in her entire Lower Moreland Township home. Machugh's family lost power at about 7:00 p.m. Wednesday night and did not get it back for eighteen hours.

Machugh slept with her husband and mother on couches near the fireplace, while her kids slept in their rooms, huddled under blankets. They had flashlights and a radio to get through the night.

"Everyone went to bed early," said Machugh. "We made it an early night, it was a cold morning, but we survived."

PECO crews got to Heaton Road Thursday morning, fixing a utility line hit by a tree in the storm. So far, PECO has restored power to 180,000 customers across the region. And they are still working as of Thursday night. It has been a race against the weather, with temperatures below freezing.

"A tree came down, hit a wire, and started a fire," said Bill Schilling of Upper Moreland Township. "It must've blown a transformer."

It was out for a few hours in his neighborhood, before PECO crews got it turned back on.

"This neighborhood becomes a sheet of ice," said Liza Boyer. "It's nice to live here, but it's not when it storms."

PECO expects to have power restored to all of their customers by Thursday night.

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Reported By Oren Liebermann, CBS 3