Nearly 20 percent of PP&L, Inc.'s delivery customers have been touched by Hurricane Floyd's widespread arms of rain and wind. With more than 2,000 repairs to equipment needed to bring service back to all customers -- the most ever necessary for PP&L as a result of a storm emergency -- some customers may be without power through the weekend.

"We recognize that during power outages, protecting perishable foods becomes a priority," said John F. Sipics, PP&L vice president of Delivery Services and Economic Development. "We understand that being without power can be a hardship for our customers. We are doing all we can not only to restore power quickly, but also to assist customers while their power is out."

As a result, PP&L has arranged to provide affected customers with free dry ice and regular ice, while supplies last, to help keep their refrigerators and freezers cold until power is restored. (See attached list for distribution locations.) If dry ice is used, customers should use gloves when handling, store in a well-ventilated area and do not inhale the ice fumes.

More than 1,000 of PP&L's own employees, assisted by outside crews from as far away as Montreal and Toronto, continue a massive, around-the-clock effort to restore power to customers in eastern and central Pennsylvania.

Customers who are going to be using personal generators to keep appliances running should be aware of several critical safety issues. "Safety of Mobile Work Force crews working to restore service is a major concern," said Robert M. Geneczko, PP&L vice president for Power Delivery. "If improperly connected, emergency generators can backfeed through our system and pose a hazard to crews working on the lines."

To avoid this risk, customers should plug their appliances directly into the AC outlets of the standby generator and not connect their generators to their electrical panels. Other safety precautions include: keep generator properly vented during operation, store fuel away from the house, and don't refuel when generator is in operation. Customers should use that same PP&L toll-free number to report power outages. The company has added extra employees at its customer service call center to answer customer calls. Customers may experience delays in getting through because of the number of people trying to call.

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PP&L delivery customers who are without power can go to the following locations to get ice:

Lancaster Region:

Turkey Hill Mini Markets at the following locations:

14 N. State St., Brownstown

351 W. Main St., New Holland

52 Newport Pike, Gap

265 W. State St., Quarryville

1001 Lancaster Pike, "At the Buck," Quarryville

Main St., Morgantown

Lehigh Region:

Bethlehem Ice Service, 623 Hanover Ave., Allentown

Wegman's, 3900 Tilghman St., Allentown

King's Supermarket, 5020 Rte. 873, Schnecksville

Mr. Z's, Mt. Pocono

Mr. Z's, Tannersville

Harrisburg Region:

Westy Beer Distributor, 420 St. Johns Church Rd., Camp Hill

Newport Ice, Bloomfield Ave., Newport

Good Time Ice, 1621 N. Seventh St., Harrisburg

Wenger's Meat, 511 E. Louther St., Carlisle

Northeast Region:

Caputo's Ice, R190 S. Pine St., Hazleton

Wychock's Mountaintop Beverage, 75 S. Mountain Blvd., Mountaintop

Orloski's Quick Mart, Exit 42 of I-80 near the Pennyslvania Turnpike, Carbon County

Orloski's Quick Mart, Exit 40 off I-80 at 601 Church St., White Haven

Joe's Quick Mart, Route 6, Waymart

Joe's Quick Mart, Route 6, Honesdale

Joe's Quick Mart, Route 590, Hamlin

Joe's Quick Mart, Exit 4 off of I-84 East at Mount Cobb

Susquehanna Region:

Portion Pack, 1465 Dix St., Williamsport

Home Service Beverage, 419 Fifth Ave., Williamsport

Ice Plant of Sunbury, Snydertown Rd., Sunbury

Ice Plant of Lewisburg, 2030 Market St., Lewisburg

Bechtel's Dairy & Restaurant, 520 North Derr Dr., Lewisburg

Red Rock Corners, intersection of Routes 118 & 487, Columbia County

Riverside Markets, Route 487, Benton

Pottsville Ice Company, E. Norwegian St., Pottsville

Ron's Ice House, 327 W. Poplar St., Shenandoah