School closings: Pittsburgh Public Schools closed due to power outages after destructive storms hit US city - see full list of closures
Schools are closed, traffic lights are down and thousands are left without electricity as a power outage strikes US city Pittsburgh.
Severe storms rocked the Pittsburgh area on Tuesday evening (29 April), knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of homes. Wind gusts up to 70 miles per hour brought down trees and prompted tornado warnings.
In a release late Tuesday, Allegheny County said there were at least two storm-related deaths. One person was fatally electrocuted on the South Side Slopes in Pittsburgh, but the circumstances surrounding the second death were not immediately available.
Forest Hills Mayor Frank Porco declared a state of emergency for the borough late Tuesday, advising residents to limit travel to essential purposes only until further notice. Porco urged residents to remain patient and vigilant as crews work to restore power outages.
Shortly before 5 a.m. on Wednesday, Duquesne Light, which covers parts of Beaver and Allegheny counties, reported over 225,000 customers without power. First Energy is reporting that as of 5:00 a.m. Wednesday, over 227,000 customers are in the dark across Pennsylvania, with tens of thousands in Allegheny, Armstrong, Indiana, Washington and Westmoreland counties.
On its website, Duquesne Light said crews are working to assess damage, and once that's done, estimated times of restoration will be posted. It also requested assistance from other utility crews.
The storms were quick but powerful, and people across Western Pennsylvania were left to assess the damage. On Pittsburgh's South Side, a roof was ripped off the building that houses PerLora Furniture. It landed at the intersection of East Carson Street and the Birmingham Bridge.
Authorities urged residents to use extreme caution when moving through the city. Multiple school districts were closed or on two-hour delays on Wednesday, including Fox Chapel Area, Gateway, Franklin Regional, Freeport Area, Mt. Lebanon, Penn Hills, Plum and Riverview.
All Pittsburgh Public Schools are closed. Freeport Area, Kiski Area and New Ken-Arnold school districts are on a two-hour delay Wednesday. For the latest in school delays and closings, click here.