PHILADELPHIA -- A powerful thunderstorm that rolled through the region with a hurricane-force gust knocked out power to at least 280,000, some SEPTA service, and, evidently, the heat wave, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
The storm barreled along at a brisk 55 m.p.h. between 3 and 4 p.m., and cleared the region in time for the heart of the evening commute. Damage and debris will linger much longer.
At 12:01 a.m. Friday, Peco Energy Co. spokeswoman Cathy Engel said 190,000 customers in Delaware and Chester Counties and in Philadelphia were still without power and she said some would go days without power.
"The damage is quite significant," Engel said.
Camden, Gloucester, and Burlington Counties in New Jersey also had power outages. SEPTA service south of Philadelphia was delayed or suspended. Trees on tracks and snapped wires shut down the Media/Elwyn Line for the evening, a spokeswoman said. SEPTA hoped to restore service for Friday morning's commute.
(The preceding report by Anthony R. Wood was published June 25, 2010, by The Philadelphia Inquirer.)
Tony D's will be leveled tomorrow. A picture of it's condition is on the Division 231 BLET website. I was helping moving stuff out all day. The place is condemned. I told Tony it happened because Uke put a bohemian cheapskate Ukrainian curse on it.........
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I started ophph with nuthin, and I can safely say I have most of it left.... <img