Full Notification

As Hurricane Sandy gathers strength along the East Coast, our JCP&L, Penelec, Met-Ed, West Penn Power, Potomac Edison and Mon Power utilities are mobilizing employees and external resources to help aid the restoration process should the storm impact customers' electric service early next week.

Torrential rain, high winds and the threat of excessive flooding have the potential to cause significant damage to the electrical system in New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania and Maryland, which could result in power outages lasting up to seven to 10 days. In addition, extended forecasts show the potential for snow and high winds in the company's Ohio, central Pennsylvania and West Virginia service areas.

Click here for safety tips.

"We utilize detailed forecasting models to determine how a severe weather event like Hurricane Sandy most likely will affect our customers, and what steps we can take to possibly minimize their inconvenience in the event of an outage," said FirstEnergy Meteorologist Brian Kolts. "While it appears that New Jersey has the potential to be the hardest-hit area, this massive weather event has the potential to cause damage across a large portion of FirstEnergy's service territory."

Click here for a video explaining how our meteorologists help prepare for storms.

To restore power to customers as quickly as possible, more than 700 FirstEnergy linemen, hazard crews, and internal support resources have been secured for storm recovery work throughout the FirstEnergy service territory. In addition, approximately 500-600 electrical contractors already working for FirstEnergy have been secured for storm recovery work. Almost 1,000 tree contractors also are available, as needed, to work during the restoration process. Ultimately, personnel will be dispatched appropriately to the hardest-hit areas.

The company also is working to secure outside utility crews, electrical contractors and tree contractors to assist in the event of large-scale outages. FirstEnergy currently is working with four mutual assistance groups for resources, including Mid-Atlantic Mutual Assistance (MAMA), the New York Mutual Assistance Group (NYMAG), Southeastern Electric Exchange (SEE), and Great Lakes Mutual Assistance (GLMA).

The utilities have implemented their storm response process, including assessing the need for staging sites, notifying employees regarding their storm roles, addressing employee schedule coordination, and developing strategic plans to deploy hazard responders and damage assessors.

Company representatives also are communicating with emergency management officials, state officials, regulators and the media about storm preparation efforts. Additional governmental affairs and communications representatives will be deployed to the hardest-hit areas, as needed.

Our call centers will be fully staffed. If you lose power, please call 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877) to report your outage or click here to report your outage online.

Immediately report downed wires to 888-544-4877 or your local police or fire department. Never go near a downed power line, even if you think it's no longer carrying electricity.


Tips to Prepare for a Storm

Keep a flashlight and extra batteries handy. Use care when burning candles; open flames are a fire hazard.
Gather extra blankets or a sleeping bag for each person. Do not use gas stoves, kerosene heaters or other open-flame heat sources to prevent deadly carbon monoxide gas from building up in your home.
If you have a water well and pump, keep an emergency supply of bottled water and/or fill your bathtub with fresh water.
Stock an emergency supply of convenience foods that do not require cooking.
Keep a battery-powered radio with extra batteries on hand. Tune in to a local radio station for current storm information.
Have a hard-wired telephone or a charged cell phone handy in the event you need to report your electricity is out. Mobile phones can be charged in your vehicle using a car charger when power is out. If you have a smart phone, this will ensure you have access to online information sources.

Generator Safety
Emergency power generators offer an option for customers needing or wanting uninterrupted service. However, to ensure the safety of the home's occupants as well as that of utility company employees who may be working on power lines in the area, the proper generator should be selected and installed by a qualified electrician. When operating a generator, always disconnect the power coming into your home. Otherwise, power from your generator could be sent back onto the utility lines, creating a hazardous situation for utility workers.


Last Modified: October 26, 2012