Customers Should Prepare for Potential Outages
MAYS LANDING, N.J. (Sept. 1, 2016) – Atlantic City Electric (ACE) is monitoring the path of Tropical Storm Hermine and taking steps to prepare in case the anticipated heavy rain and strong winds cause service interruptions.
If the storm system gains in strength, it could damage the electric system and cause power outages. Atlantic City Electric will work around the clock to restore any outages that may occur. When winds exceed 35 mph, work from bucket trucks may need to be suspended until it is safe for crews to continue.
In addition to 125 internal personnel, ACE has an additional 160 overhead line contractors and tree crew personnel as well as crews from its sister utilities Delmarva Power and Pepco available to assist in any restoration effort. Should Atlantic City Electric need extra assistance, the merger with Exelon allows for shared resources from other nearby companies in the Exelon family, including Baltimore Gas & Electric and PECO in Philadelphia.
“We monitor every storm and are paying particular attention to this one,” said Vince Maione, Atlantic City Electric region president. “Customers can also take steps to make sure they are ready too. We encourage customers with special needs or those dependent upon electricity for medical equipment, to have an alternate arrangement in place in the event they experience an extended power outage.”
Atlantic City Electric is also in contact with local emergency management officials. Our call centers are staffed and prepared for this event.
ACE customers can prepare for the storm by being ready for any outages. ACE asks customers to have an emergency kit, including a flashlight, battery-powered radio, extra batteries, non-perishable food, bottled water, manual can opener, cash, any essential medications and a list of important phone numbers. All items can be placed into a large cooler which can be used at home and is easy to grab if a person has to leave home quickly.
Customers are also encouraged to identify a safe alternate location in case of an extended outage; tune to local news broadcasts for the latest weather and emergency information and follow the advice of local emergency management officials.
If a personal generator is needed, never use indoors or inside an attached garage. A portable generator is an internal combustion engine that exhausts a deadly gas called carbon monoxide or CO. Also, 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 the utility company lines which can injure or kill utility workers fixing downed power lines. It also can cause downed lines to re-energize.
Customers are asked to please report any outages and to stay away from any downed wires. To report outages and/or downed wires, please call 1-800-833-7476, follow the prompts, and please ask for a call back to confirm that power has been restored. Outages also may be reported through atlanticcityelectric.com or through the company’s mobile app.
ACE also provides a “Weathering the Storm Fact Sheet” that can be downloaded from its website.
For more information about Atlantic City Electric, visit atlanticcityelectric.com. Follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/atlanticcityelectric and on Twitter at twitter.com/acelecconnect.
Our mobile app is available at atlanticcityelectric.com/mobileapp.
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Atlantic City Electric, a public utility owned by Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC), provides safe, reliable and affordable regulated electric delivery services to more than 547,000 customers in southern New Jersey.