Explanation about the closure of schools with partial electricity:

Some schools closed today have partial electricity. However, fire and health safety code requirements, along with school system safety and security requirements, specify that a school's entire electrical system must be certified as operational before schools can be open for students.

Partial electrical power is not sufficient to open a school, even though certain portions of the building may have electricity. In addition, mechanical systems -- such as air conditioning, refrigeration, etc., that were disrupted or damaged by the power outages -- also have to be fixed once power is restored.

Please note that the timeline for restoring power is entirely dependent on the progress of the utility companies. Priority repair efforts, while including schools, also are directed at emergency services, medical facilities, nursing homes, the elderly, and others in a rank order of need.

Full electrical power will be restored as soon as possible, but some problems may not be fixed until Friday.