As we enter September, a month dedicated to preparedness, it’s a good time to review how we can best protect ourselves, our loved ones and our community from unexpected emergencies. National Preparedness Month is a reminder that disasters can strike at any time, and being ready can make all the difference.

While we do many things throughout the year to stay prepared for storms and emergencies, we encourage you to do the same.

As your Partners in Power, we’re committed to working together to keep you safe and connected – no matter the weather. Here’s how you can get ready, stay connected and stay safe — before, during and after a storm:

Get prepared:

• Create an emergency plan and discuss what your family would do in different scenarios, such as a power outage, severe weather or other disasters. Identify a meeting place, ensure everyone knows how to contact each other and practice your plan regularly.
• Prepare an emergency kit with food, water, medication, flashlights and pet supplies.
• Charge your phones and devices.
• Make alternate plans if you have a medical condition that requires electricity.
• Purchase power strips with lightning arresters or surge protectors for your appliances and electronics.
• Consider installing lightning rods on your property.
• Review your insurance coverage to make sure it reflects your family’s needs in the event of storm damage.

Stay connected:

• Sign up for local emergency alerts and monitor weather forecasts.
• Report power outages online at pplelectric.com or text “Outage” to TXTPPL (898775).
• Sign up for alerts to stay connected and receive outage updates at pplelectric.com/alerts.
• Check the status of an outage and estimated restoration times at pplelectric.com/outage.
• Follow us on social media for the latest storm and restoration updates.

Stay safe during and after storms:

• Stay away from utility poles and metal conductors.
• If you encounter a downed wire at any time, assume it’s energized and stay away. Report it immediately to PPL Electric.
• Avoid using appliances or electronics plugged into outlets, since electric and plumbing equipment may carry lightning current.
• If using a portable generator during a power outage, never operate it in an enclosed area, like a garage, where deadly carbon monoxide fumes could accumulate.
• Use flashlights instead of candles to prevent fires.
• If you lose power, turn off any appliances that were on when the power went out.
• For your safety and ours, please keep a safe distance from our crews.

How we prepare

At PPL Electric Utilities, we work year-round to strengthen and modernize our grid so it’s ready when storms strike.

We monitor the health of the system through helicopter and drone inspections, and we use sensors and infrared technology to identify needed upgrades and repairs.

We’ve also developed industry-leading smart grid technology that reduces the number of customers affected by outages and automatically reroutes power around trouble spots. Since 2015, more than 3 million outages have been avoided thanks to our smart grid technology. And because trees are the leading cause of outages during storms, we trim and manage vegetation along thousands of miles of power lines each year.

Other reliability improvements include:

• Upgrading power lines and poles with stronger, storm-resistant materials.
• Adding more automated sensors for faster fault detection and restoration.
• Deploying predictive sensors to identify issues before outages occur.
• Installing avian guards and lightning protection along transmission lines.

Storm preparation and response

We monitor weather forecasts daily and plan days ahead when severe weather is expected. As storms approach, we activate storm teams with extra personnel in the field, control centers and customer service. Crews may move to 16-hour shifts for around-the-clock coverage. We dispatch resources across our 29-county service territory to respond as safely and quickly as possible.

When storms cause outages, we follow an established restoration process. Critical facilities like hospitals are restored first. Then we repair lines that bring power back to the largest number of customers, followed by smaller neighborhoods, individual homes and businesses.