Sunday is target for complete power restoration in Pike

Hundreds of utility trucks are swarming the Upper and Middle Delaware and Poconos regions to fix the helter skelter of downed power lines, in what looks more like a wartime mobilization than the usual storm clean-up.
The Courier has encountered workers from as far afield as New Brunswick, Canada, and the state of Florida, a span of 2,000 miles. Met-Ed says its customers waiting for power — 2,921 customers in Dingman, 3,328 customers in Delaware, and 1,523 customers in Lehman — will have power restored today.
Pike County Power & Light says about 91 percent of its customers now have power. Of the rest, PCP&L expects "a majority — if not all customers — to be restored," by Sunday, March 11.
"Unforeseen issues may affect this expectation," said a Thursday statement from the utility. "Please keep in mind that this is an estimation and we will continue to work diligently toward this goal."
PCP&L says 173 customers were restored on Wednesday, including Millrift/Bluestone Boulevard, Old Bridge Road, and Chippy Cole Road, with work to begin on West Ann Street behind Key Foods in Milford.
Recovery work has been hampered by "a significant amount of tree debris piled on top of the downed wires," which occured after a "premature" announcement of restoration, the utility said.
PCP&L said he hoped to restore the following neighborhoods Friday, March 9: Mountain Springs Road, Victory Drive, Boulder Road, Martin Lane, Estates Blvd., and Buist Road, as well as Pond Eddy.
Areas with a restoration time of by the end of the day on Saturday, March 10, are: Pine Acres, Christian Hill Road, Cross the Brook Ave., Chipmunk Lane, Foster Hill Road, Schocopee Road, Firetower Road and School House Drive.
Pike County was plunged into darkness last Friday, March 2, when Winter Storm Riley roared into the area, delivering a one-two punch of nearly two feet of wet, heavy snow combined with hurricane-force winds that toppled trees and utility poles onto electric lines and phone lines.
'We will go after the electric company'Residents and officials at Monday night's Milford borough meeting praised the response of local first responders but blasted the response by PCP&L.
"We will go after the electric company (for) unacceptable service," said borough council president Frank Tarquinio, after listening to complaints from the audience.
He said Corning Gas is a natural gas company with only a handful of electrical customers and lacks the needed expertise in electricity to manage the system.
"We are their sole electrical customers," he said.
He and others said they didn't understand why Corning Gas even wanted these few electrical customers.
PCL&P had been a subsidiary of Orange & Rockland from 1911 to August 2016, which it was purchased by Corning Gas.
PCL&P serves approximately 4,600 customers in Pike County, including the Townships of Westfall, Milford and the northern part of Dingman and in the Boroughs of Milford and Matamoras. PCL&P provides natural gas service to 1,200 customers in Westfall Township and the Borough of Matamoras.
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