Snow, ice and wind are three of the biggest enemies of power lines and electric distribution equipment. With winter at its worst today (1/14), PP&L, Inc. is continuing to monitor the weather conditions and is ready to respond to any power outages that may occur.
Since Wednesday night (1/13), PP&L, Inc. has experienced few outages. PP&L, Inc. crews restored power to about 1,000 customers in eastern and central Pennsylvania last night and this morning.
"We continue to monitor weather conditions closely. Our crews are ready to respond to problems reported by our customers," said Robert M. Geneczko, PP&L, Inc. vice president for Power Delivery.
He added that, depending on the weather conditions, PP&L, Inc. will hold over some of its line crews into the evening to be available to respond quickly to customer reports of outages. PP&L, Inc. already has made arrangements with other utilities to provide emergency assistance in the event that the storm causes severe damage to lines and equipment.
"If we experience problems, we are prepared to respond to our customers as quickly as possible," Geneczko said.
Customers can help by reporting power outages to PP&L, Inc.'s toll-free customer service number, 1-800-342-5775 (1-800 DIAL PPL). They can report outages 24 hours a day. PP&L, Inc. asks any customer whose power goes out to call right away rather than waiting for a neighbor to report the outage.
"We rely on reports from our customers to help us pinpoint the source of problems so we can get our line crews out to restore service as quickly as possible." Geneczko explained.
The greatest threats to power lines and electical equipment in this storm are ice and high winds. Ice can build up on tree limbs, causing them to break and fall into power lines. Strong, gusty winds add to the potential for problems.
In these weather conditions, there is a potential for wires to be knocked down to the ground. Wires on the ground may be extremely dangerous. Anyone who encounters a fallen wire should keep a safe distance away and report the situation immediately by calling PP&L, Inc.'s toll-free number or the local emergency number (911).