LAKEWOOD, Ohio — Power outages have been plaguing parts of Northeast Ohio for months, and the recent heatwave isn't helping. Residents in Lakewood and parts of Cleveland experienced another power outage on Sunday.
Now, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) is stepping in, and the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel is calling for a formal investigation.
For Debbie Light, losing power has become a constant struggle. She says that on Sunday alone, the electricity went out five to seven times. The situation is made even worse by the sweltering summer temperatures and the fact that she lives on the 11th floor, leaving her without a functioning elevator.
“We had no air conditioning, nothing,” said Light.
These outages have become a persistent issue in Lakewood for months, with problems continuing through this past weekend.
Lakewood Mayor Meghan George tells News 5 that a few weeks ago, she and Cleveland Councilmembers Charles Slife and Brian Kazy sent a letter to PUCO requesting a full investigation. She's relieved that action is finally being taken.
“FirstEnergy has an obligation to provide reliable power to our residents and our community, and they're failing, and they need to be held accountable,” George said.
PUCO announced that, after receiving more than 800 complaints from residents, community leaders, and local officials, it has launched a review and issued a formal notice of probable non-compliance to FirstEnergy.
They believe the root of the problem is aging infrastructure, an issue they say has persisted for years with little action taken. PUCO found four potential violations and listed a number of required corrective actions, including: Submitting a detailed improvement plan and improving communication with customers.
“That is not what we think is necessary to adequately solve this problem,” said J.P. Blackwood, public affairs liaison, Office of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel.
Blackwood believes a formal investigation into FirstEnergy is needed. This would allow for public comment and an outside auditor.
“A formal docket investigation would be required to declare that First Energy was negligent and if there's a declaration that First Energy was negligent, first, then PUCO could order First Energy to make up for the damage they caused,” Blackwood said.
News 5 reached out to FirstEnergy regarding more outages reported again on Sunday. The company responded with the following statement:
"We recognize how disruptive outages can be and apologize for any inconvenience our customers have experienced. We remain committed to ensuring reliable service and are taking steps to strengthen the infrastructure in Lakewood. Our crews are conducting thorough inspections and implementing targeted upgrades to improve system performance and reduce future interruptions.
On Sunday, tree branches came into contact with high voltage power lines that serve several area substations, causing the outage. The substation in Lakewood where we are accelerating long-term upgrades was not impacted. Crews restored power to all affected customers around 4:30pm."
“Got to fix it, and we need some accountability, and we need some advanced planning, instead of just shrug the shoulders,” said Councilman Tom Bullock.
For elected officials and residents of Lakewood, the message is simple: they just want reliable power.
“Please fix your problems so that this doesn't happen as often,” Light said.
FirstEnergy has until Aug. 8 to respond to PUCO’s notice—or face potential fines of up to $10,000 per violation, per day.
George said that cooling centers remain open during the hot summer months, and the city is exploring additional ways to support residents who are impacted.
