November 6, 2012
Fewer than 26,000 power outages remain in W.Va.
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- FirstEnergy expects to restore electricity by late Friday to a majority of its remaining West Virginia customers who lost service because of superstorm Sandy.

The utility reported 25,668 outages as of 5:15 p.m. Tuesday. That's down from a peak of 210,000. Preston County has the most remaining outages with about 6,925.

FirstEnergy said customers in the most heavily damaged areas might not regain electricity until the weekend.

Appalachian Power's website did not report any outages Tuesday evening. The utility said Monday that it expected to restore power to all customers affected by the storm overnight.

Meanwhile, state officials expect road cleanup following Sandy to cost the state $6 million.

The state already has spent more than $4 million to remove downed trees, power lines and snow from roads.

Secretary of Transportation Paul Mattox told the Charleston Daily Mail that only a handful of roads remain closed.

Mattox said the Federal Emergency Management Agency is starting to assess damage in counties affected by the storm.

The Department of Transportation received nearly $11 million from FEMA to help cover the $14 million cost of cleaning up roads following the June 29 derecho. Mattox says he expects the federal agency will pay for most of the costs of the latest cleanup.

Some state voters still digging out from the storm were casting their votes Tuesday with some help from the National Guard.

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Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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