The electric power industry launched a rapid response in the
wake of unusually severe and long-lasting thunderstorms—known as
a "super derecho"—that swept across the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic
regions on Friday night. A derecho is defined as a long-lived
wind storm that can travel for hundreds of miles with damage
generally following a straight path. This is where the term
"straight line winds" come from. The powerful thunderstorms
travel very fast and as they accelerate, the storms sometimes
tend to "bow." That can result in wind gusts between 60 and 100
mph. Edison Electric Institute (EEI) member companies are
currently working around the clock to assess the damage and
restore power to roughly 4.3 million customers without power
across 10 states and the District of Columbia. EEI and its
member companies ask customers for their understanding during
the restoration process. Each company’s restoration plan focuses
on restoring power to the greatest number of customers as safely
and quickly as possible, starting