With Hurricane Florence expected to bear down on the eastern seaboard in less than 36 hours, Delmarva Power’s full emergency response organization is ready, said Delmarva Power Spokesman Timothy Stokes.
As of 2:00 this afternoon, Tuesday, September 11, 2018, the latest track for Hurricane Florence has the storm moving into North Carolina sometime on Friday. While the eye of the storm will likely make landfall south of Delaware, heavy rain and wind are expected to affect the region.
Stokes said employees and local contractors have inspected equipment, reviewed procedures, and assembled staffing plans to ensure around-the-clock support to respond to any potential impacts from this storm.
In addition to more than 250 internal line workers and overhead line contractors, Delmarva Power has 133 tree-trimming personnel, as well as crews from its sister companies Atlantic City Electric and Pepco, available to assist in any needed restoration effort. The company is also partnering with city, county, and state government to ensure safety and service to the greatest extent possible. Should extra assistance be required, the company will call on shared resources from its Exelon family, including Baltimore Gas & Electric, PECO in Philadelphia, and ComEd in Chicago.
Over the years, Delmarva Power has sent thousands of crews and support personnel to assist utilities, in our region and across the country, as part of mutual assistance networks. Should Florence not impact the Delmarva Power service area, company personnel and local contractors will once again be ready to answer the call of needed support for other impacted utilities, said Stokes.
Delmarva Power most recently provided restoration assistance in Puerto Rico and to areas of Florida and Georgia that were affected by Hurricane Irma last September.
To report an outage or downed wire, customers should call 1-800-898-8042 or customers can report and track their outage through their mobile app or their website at delmarva.com.
If outages do occur, crews will assess the damage and assign an estimated restoration time. Depending on the extent of damages, restorations times can change. For example, when Delmarva Power crews arrive on site and assess damage for an outage, customers receive an updated estimated restoration time. The company then continues to update the estimated restoration time as crews complete their work.
Safety and Preparation Tips
Preparation tips:
Have a flashlight with fresh batteries on each floor of your home.
Keep a supply of bottled water and easy-to-prepare, non-perishable foods available.
Charge cell phones and other mobile devices in advance.
Have an updated emergency supply kit. Keep a portable radio or TV, or NOAA weather radio (with batteries) on hand to monitor weather forecasts and official information.
Safety tips:
Stay away from downed wires and assume any downed wire or damaged electric equipment is energized.
Do not enter basements that are flooded, because water at certain levels can be energized.
Stay away from any flood-covered electric equipment in neighborhoods, even if there is no electricity in the area.
When using a personal generator, never keep it 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 onto the local energy grid and cause severe injuries.
Customers are also encouraged to identify a safe alternate location where they can stay in case of an extended outage.
Stay tuned to local news broadcasts for the latest weather and emergency information and follow the advice of local emergency management officials.