MAYS LANDING — Atlantic City Electric is closely monitoring the weather forecast that calls for snow, rain and strong winds which could potentially affect the company’s service territory Friday evening and through the weekend. The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook for the region.
High winds and heavy, wet snow can weigh down tree limbs and bring them into contact with power lines causing power outages. Wet snow can also adversely affect saturated soil and allow trees already weakened by previous storms to fall onto power lines and equipment, causing power outages. Outages can also occur due to drivers skidding into utility poles along icy and snow-covered roads.
In addition to internal crews available 24 hours a day throughout the weekend, Atlantic City Electric has overhead line contractors and tree crews available to assist in any restoration effort.
Should outages occur, Atlantic City Electric will work around the clock to restore service, however, customers should be prepared for the possibility of service interruptions which could last several days depending on the damage to the electric system. For the safety of the overhead line personnel, if sustained winds reach 35 mph, work that requires raising a bucket/arm boom will be interrupted until it is safe for the crews to continue.
Atlantic City Electric coordinates with state, county and local emergency management officials during severe storm events. Our call Centers are staffed and prepared for this event.
Safety is our No. 1 priority. We urge our customers to stay clear of working crews and any wires hanging loose from poles or lying on the ground. Customers should always assume that downed wires are energized and avoid them. Customers are asked to immediately report a downed wire by calling 1-800-833-7476.
Preparedness tips for Atlantic City Electric customers:
- · Assemble an emergency storm kit. Include a battery-powered radio or television, flashlight, a first-aid kit, battery-powered or windup clock, extra batteries, special needs items, an insulated cooler and a list of important and emergency phone numbers.
- · Keep at least a three-day supply of nonperishable foods and bottled water and have a hand-operated can opener available.
- · Have adequate prescription medicines or infant supplies on hand.
- · Make sure you have a telephone with a cord or cell phone to use as a backup. Cordless telephones require electricity to operate and won’t work if there is an outage.
- · Identify a safe alternate location in case of an extended outage.
- · Tune to local news broadcasts for the latest weather and emergency information.
· Follow the advice of local emergency management officials.
General Safety Tips:
- · Protect electronic equipment. Unplug sensitive electronics or plug computers and other sensitive equipment into surge suppressors and consider an uninterruptible power supply for temporary battery backup power.
- · If a portable generator is needed, follow the manufacturer’s instructions and use only when necessary. Never run a generator indoors or inside an attached garage. Be sure to place the generator outside where deadly exhaust fumes will not enter into the home.
· Do not connect a generator directly to the home’s wiring. If a generator is plugged into the electrical circuits of a home, power can back-feed into Atlantic City Electric’s lines, which can injure or kill utility workers fixing downed power lines. It also can cause downed lines to re-energize.
· Turn off power to flood-prone basement appliances if it is safe to do so. However, if using an electrically operated sump pump, the customer should not turn off the power.
We also ask customers to let us know if they lose their power. They can report outages by calling 1-800-833-7476, visiting www.atlanticcityelectric.com or through our mobile app, available for download at www.atlanticcityelectric.com/mobileapp. It’s important that customers report their outages and request a call back to verify their power has been restored.
