CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Several local schools were forced to announce closures Friday due to power outages caused by a storm that left more than 80,000 homes and businesses without power in the metro Richmond area.
School Closures
Students from Longan two-and-three-year-old preschool, Mechanicsville Elementary School, Richmond Christian School, Richmond Alternative School, Summer Hill Preschool, Richmond High School for the Arts, Swansboro Elementary School, Elizabeth Davis Middle School, Crenshaw Elementary School, Beulah Elementary School, Crestwood Elementary School, Davis Middle School and Matoaca High School will not report to class today and instead, stay home. It’s unclear if students will instead have a remote learning day.
School officials say staff members at those schools should also work from home.
Henrico Schools also reported two-hour delays at Adams, Ratcliffe and Longan elementary schools.
Severe thunderstorms rolled through Central Virginia Thursday night, leaving thousands of homes and businesses without power.
According to the Dominion Energy outage map, here’s how many customers are without power in each area as of 9:30 a.m.:
- City of Richmond — 18,930 customers without power (120,045 total customers)
- Henrico County — 5,014 customers without power (156,111 total customers)
- Chesterfield County — 13,309 customers without power (160,566 total customers)
- Hanover County — 1,249 customers without power (44,475 total customers)
Screenshot taken from the Dominion Energy Power Outage Map around 6 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 8
Lost power?
If you are one of the thousands without power, you’ll want to keep your freezer and refrigerators closed until the power comes back on. Once the power is restored, check the temperature inside your refrigerator and freezer to make sure you can either eat the food you have or refreeze it. If any food has been exposed to temperatures above 40 degrees for two or more hours, throw it away to avoid the possibility of foodborne illness.
Photos: Severe thunderstorms cause damage across Central Virginia
The Virginia Department of Emergency Management says disconnecting appliances and electronics can avoid future damage from an electrical surge.
All citizens are encouraged to have an emergency kit with normal household items such as extra batteries, cellphone chargers, flashlights, water and more, ready at all times.
This is a developing story, check back with 8News for updates.
