Update 8:30 p.m.
Dominion now reports 157 outages in Stafford County.
Update 7 p.m. Friday
Dominion Virginia Power reports 285 people still without power in Stafford County.
Crews have been working since last night and throughout the day to restore power to the more than 5,000 residents who lost power during storms last night. Those storms were not related to approaching Hurricane Irene.
A Dominion spokesman said the outage locations are spread throughout 42 spots in the county.
Update 11 a.m. Friday
Dominion Virginia Power says 900 customers in Stafford County are still without power at this hour after severe storms rolled through last night.
The utility says it plans to have most customers back on by 5 p.m., and all remaining customers’ power restored by 10 p.m.
Last night, Dominion crews told Stafford County officials they had planned to restore power by 1 a.m. Friday.
Though last night’s storms were not related to approaching Hurricane Irene, the power outages in Stafford come as Dominion crews are prepared for even more power outages that could be caused by Irene this weekend.
“We have been doing a lot to prepare for Hurricane Irene. Crews are ready. We have positioned people in areas closer to the East where we expect significant impact. Neighboring utilities have sent crews and will send more if we need them. Trucks are fueled and stocked. Material yards have supplies needed for repairs. We are ready and want our customers to be as well with a three-day supply of food, water and medicine,” said Dominion spokeswoman Le-Ha Anderson.
Click here for more information about Hurricane Irene.
Update 11:45 p.m.
The more than 5,000 customers that remain without power in Stafford County are expected to be restored during the overnight hours.
Dominion Virginia Power told Stafford County officials they plan to have power restored about 1 a.m. Friday.
The power outages come after a round of severe storms moved through the county about 5 p.m. Thursday. The nasty weather prompted 70 calls to 911 after trees were toppled and power lines were downed, said Stafford fire and rescue spokesman Mark Doyle.
Just as crews work to repair damage from storms unrelated to the approaching Hurricane Irene, officials have warned of power outages that could affect the region this weekend as the storm passes very near the Mid-Atlantic coast line.
Update 9 p.m.
Dominion Virginia Power reports nearly 1,300 customers without power following storms that passed through the area.
Stafford County, Va. — A massive power outage is affecting customers in Falmouth.
At 5 p.m. Thursday, Dominion Virginia Power reported more than 3,300 customers without power, many of them who live and work in the area of U.S. 1 and Forbes Street.
Nearly 2,000 customers across the Rappahannock River in Fredericksburg were also without power Thursday afternoon.
A round of severe summer storms are to blame for the power outages, said Dominion.
Let us know what you’re seeing and if you’re one of the customers affected by the outages
