HARRISBURG – As residents and companies throughout the Commonwealth brace for highly effective summer time storms – together with the danger of excessive winds, heavy rain, and hail – the Pennsylvania Public Utility Fee (PUC) reminds Pennsylvanians of the steps they will take to arrange for, and get better safely from, storm-related energy outages.
Heavy rain and excessive winds can deliver down bushes, branches, and wires, disrupting utility service. Time spent on planning and making ready earlier than a storm can go a great distance towards retaining you and your loved ones protected when extreme climate hits. Moreover, the PUC cautions everybody to offer utility crews ample room to carry out their restore work -– to your safety in addition to theirs -– and to make use of additional care when touring, looking ahead to utility crews working alongside streets and roads and slowing down in work areas.
Storm preparation ideas
The PUC encourages everybody to contemplate the next ideas earlier than storm strikes:
Know your utility hotlines
Write down, print, or save toll-free outage hotlines to your electrical utility and/or your pure gasoline utility, that are listed in your month-to-month payments and posted on the PUC web site.
Save utility web site deal with
Your utility’s outage reporting system can present updates on restore and restoration efforts. Bookmark these electrical utility outage websites and pure gasoline firm web sites.
Maintain your cellphone charged
A well-charged cellphone will hold you involved together with your utility, different emergency providers and relations throughout any energy outage.
Safe provides
Maintain needed meals, medication, and different provides on-hand, together with batteries for flashlights.
Energy outage ideas
Do you have to lose energy throughout a storm, hold the next factors in thoughts:
Name your utility hotline to report outages
Don’t assume that the utility already is aware of about your outage or that others have already known as.
Maintain away from wires
Do NOT contact or method any fallen strains.
Avoid objects or puddles involved with downed energy strains.
Do NOT attempt to take away bushes or limbs from energy strains.
Pre-charge mobile telephones or hold a conveyable cellphone charger available. Plan to make use of a corded cellphone — cordless telephones is not going to work with out electrical energy.
Do NOT name 9-1-1 to report energy outages. Report these to your utility. Calling 9-1-1 to report non-emergency points like service outages can take sources away from different emergencies. SPECIAL NOTE: Should you see a downed energy line, instantly name your electrical utility and/or 9-1-1.
Security whereas ready for energy to be restored
Contemplate the next ideas to assist keep protected till energy is restored:
Use flashlights or battery-operated lanterns for emergency lighting. Don’t use candles or different potential fireplace hazards.
Flip off lights and electrical home equipment apart from the fridge and freezer. When energy comes again on, it might come again with momentary “surges” or “spikes” that may harm tools.
Go away one mild on
After you flip the lights off, flip one lamp on so you’ll know when energy is restored. Wait a minimum of quarter-hour after energy is restored earlier than turning on different home equipment.
Use turbines safely
Should you use a generator, do NOT run it inside a constructing or storage or anyplace near a window or vent. Additionally, join the tools you need to function on to the retailers on the generator, not {the electrical} system to your residence or enterprise, which might shock or injure utility crews engaged on close by energy strains. Extra generator ideas can be found at: www.puc.pa.gov/Common/consumer_ed/pdf/Portable_Generator_FS.pdf. Verify on aged neighbors and people with particular wants who may want further help.
Pure gasoline security ideas
Pure gasoline home equipment may also be impacted by storms:
Verify gasoline home equipment
Electrical energy outages can have an effect on home equipment that function on pure gasoline. If they don’t perform correctly when energy is restored, name knowledgeable for service.
Evacuate when you scent pure gasoline
Get everybody out of the constructing instantly. Go away the door open and do NOT use telephones; do NOT change lights or home equipment on or off, and do NOT take another motion whereas contained in the constructing.
Name 9-1-1 from a protected location
After you might be safely outdoors, name 9-1-1 out of your cellphone or a neighboring residence or enterprise. Throughout storm emergencies, the PUC constantly displays utility points and works intently with the Governor’s Workplace and the opposite state businesses concerned in Pennsylvania’s coordinated storm response.
Throughout the state, there’s in depth behind-the-scenes work when storms are forecast, targeted on rapidly addressing issues and restoring service as quickly as doable.
Utilities are placing their extreme climate plans into movement; crews and tools are being positioned for fast response to outages; and communication with emergency administration coordinators is enhanced.
For details about the PUC, go to: www.puc.pa.gov.
