UPDATE (9:30 a.m.): According to AEC's outage map, power has been restored to nearly all customers in Jefferson and Hamblen County after a massive outage knocked it out for more than 14,000 people.
Original Story:
Appalachian Electric Cooperative is working to restore power to more than 14,000 Monday morning after a widespread outage struck the area.
It's unknown what caused the outage or when it will be resolved, and calls to the company's customer service line result in busy signals. The company said on social media that crews are "working diligently" to restore power and will update people on social media and its website aecoop.org.
According to the company's outage map, the outages are widespread from the Cherokee Reservoir to as far south as Highway 411, affecting 14,393 customers.
Temperatures Monday were dangerously cold. While it is unlikely power will be out for a long period of time, people affected by an outage during bitter winter temperatures should take precautions to stay warm, including dressing in multiple layers of warm clothing and having plenty of blankets to bundle up with readily available.
