Cooling centers to open for residents without power

The Monessen Civic Center is among the locations being targeted by Westmoreland County.

By PATRICK VARINE
TribLive

Local emergency management coordinators are working to open up cooling centers in the Scottdale, East Huntingdon and Monessen areas following power outages Monday evening.

West Penn Power is reporting more than 3,000 customers without power in Scottdale and the surrounding area, and more than 900 without power in Monessen as of 8:30 p.m. Monday.

“We’ve notified the municipal local coordinators,” said Westmoreland County Emergency Management Director Roland Mertz. “They’re setting up cooling centers as needed.”

Mertz said Scottdale and East Huntingdon officials have opened the Scottdale Fireman’s Club at 405 Porter Avenue as a temporary cooling center for affected residents.

West Penn Power spokesman Todd Meyers said crews responded to a power substation in Scottdale to try to determine the cause of the outage there.

Mertz said Monessen officials were also working to open the Monessen Civic Center on Donner Avenue as a cooling center there.

Some Scottdale residents were reporting power returning around 8:30 p.m. Monday.