Atlantic City Electric holds Storm Preparedness Event

MAYS LANDING – Atlantic City Electric held its annual Storm Preparedness Event May 28 at Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, to prepare residents for the upcoming hurricane season which starts June 1. National Hurricane Preparedness Week 2013 runs May 26 through June 1.
Vince Maione, Region President, Atlantic City Electric; and Charlie Wimberg, Region Vice President, Atlantic City Electric, were joined by Carol Cohen, Executive Director, American Red Cross Southern Shore Chapter; and Tom Foley, Emergency Management Coordinator, Atlantic City Office of Emergency Management.
“It’s very important residents prepare for the upcoming storm season, have an emergency plan in place, and have an assembled emergency storm kit ready if needed,” said Vince Maione, Region President, Atlantic City Electric. “Atlantic City Electric is prepared for what is predicted to be a very active storm season.”
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook says there is a 70 percent likelihood of 13 to 20 named storms, 11 of which could become hurricanes. On average, the Atlantic hurricane season delivers 12 named storms and six hurricanes. NOAA states that of the 11 potential hurricanes, three to six could become Category 3, 4 or 5 hurricanes with winds of 111 mph or higher.
Atlantic City Electric has made and will continue to make significant investments to its infrastructure to help protect it from storm damage and improve reliability. The company will make infrastructure investments of more than $800 million over the next five years to further improve service reliability for customers including building new and upgrading existing infrastructure, building new substations, and where warranted replace wood utility poles with steel poles to improve resiliency.
Atlantic City Electric Emergency Preparedness Tips for residents
Assemble an emergency storm kit containing:
• Flashlights and fresh batteries
• Battery-powered radio or TV and extra batteries
• Land-line phone with cord (cordless phones require electricity)
• Battery-powered or windup alarm clock
• Supply of bottled water (one gallon per person per day)
• Non-perishable foods that require no heating
• Blankets, bedding or sleeping bags
• First-aid kit and prescription medications
• Hand-operated can opener
• Special medical or infant supplies
• A variety of hand tools
• List of emergency phone numbers
• Develop and practice an emergency plan with everyone in your household.
• Fill your bathtub with water if your water supply depends on electricity.
• If you or someone you know relies on life-support equipment that requires electricity to operate, identify a location with emergency power capabilities and make plans to go there during a prolonged outage.
• Make sure cell phones are charged.
• Protect and unplug electronic equipment.
• Tune in to local news broadcasts for the latest weather and emergency information.
• Follow the advice of your local emergency management officials.
• If you need to use a portable generator, follow the manufacturer’s instructions and use only when necessary. Don’t overload it and turn it off at night while you sleep and when you are away from home.
Additional tips are available in our “Storm Preparation Handbook” at atlanticcityelectric.com.
Customers should call 1-800-833-7476 to report outages or to report a downed wire. It’s very important people stay clear of any downed wires.
Find additional information by visiting www.atlanticcityelectric.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/atlanticcityelectric and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/acelecconnect.