Apr 10, 2024 | Safety and Security
If you’re breaking ground on a spring project – a pool, a new fence or mailbox, or landscaping work – don’t start any digging until you call 811. It’s free, simple and can prevent injuries and power outages.
April is National Safe Digging Month, which serves as an annual reminder about the importance of making safe digging a priority at every job site, regardless of the month. Calling 811 helps ensure that a crew will visit the work site to mark the existence of underground utilities, including underground power lines, so that those doing the work will avoid contacting them.
Pennsylvania law requires an 811 call at least three business days before digging with any power equipment. Once the call is placed, a crew is sent out to survey the area and mark it with spray paint and flags where underground utilities – power, water, sewer and gas lines and other utilities – are located. (The graphic at right provided by Pennsylvania811 shows the colors used to mark each type of utility.)
Common Ground Alliance (CGA), an association committed to raising public awareness about excavation safety, says hundreds of thousands of dig-ins to underground utilities occur annually. Those dig-ins have potential to cut residents off from critical services or cause injury.
What to remember
When calling 811, be prepared to provide the following information:
- The county and municipality in which the planned dig is located.
- The street name and address.
- The nearest intersecting/cross street to the address.
- Details of the dig site, including the area of the property where excavation will occur and what kind of work is being done.
- When the project is scheduled to take place.
- The name of the company doing the work (if applicable). (Contractors make their own 811 calls.)
If you see digging going on in your neighborhood and believe an 811 call may not have been placed (no paint or flags), make the call yourself to keep everyone safe and prevent damage to underground lines.
“Making contact with power lines, overhead or underground, can have devastating consequences, so we encourage everyone to call 811 before any digging project on their property,” said Doug Haupt, public safety manager at PPL Electric Utilities. “And remember: the law requires that call.”
Visit pplelectric.com/safety for more information on safety for contractors, first responders, kids and customers.
Mar 11, 2024 | Storms and Outages
Updated at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday (3/12).
PPL Electric Utilities crews continue working to make repairs for customers who remain without power due to the severe wind that occurred Monday.
As of 3:30 p.m. Tuesday (3/12), approximately 2,500 of our 1.5 million customers were without power.
Since the severe winds began Sunday afternoon (3/10), we have restored power to more than 52,000 customers.
The majority of customers who remain without power due to Monday’s severe wind are in the northeast area of our service territory – the Poconos, Honesdale, Hamlin and surrounding areas – and the central region – Frackville, Panther Valley, White Haven, Wilkes-Barre, Hazleton and surrounding areas.
Customers in the areas of Frackville, Panther Valley, White Haven, Wilkes-Barre and Hazleton, who are without power due to Monday’s severe wind are expected to be restored by 3 p.m. Tuesday (3/12).
Customers in the Poconos and the Honesdale and Hamlin areas who remain without power due to Monday’s severe wind are expected to be restored by 11 p.m. Tuesday (3/12).
If you lose power, report the outage online at pplelectric.com or text “Outage” to TXTPPL (898775). Please stay safe and keep the following safety tips in mind:
- If you encounter a downed wire at any time, assume it’s energized and stay away.
- Candles can start fires. If you lose power, use flashlights instead.
- If you lose power and are using a portable generator, never operate the generator in an enclosed area, like a garage, where deadly carbon monoxide fumes could accumulate.
- We encourage customers who have medical conditions requiring electricity to make arrangements in case of an outage.
Feb 27, 2024 | Safety and Security
An entertaining in-school theater program that PPL Electric Utilities uses to teach youngsters long-lasting lessons about electrical safety is 10 years old this year, a milestone that demonstrates the program’s popularity and the importance of teaching valuable safety lessons.
PPL Electric is offering the entertaining, energetic and engaging performances between Feb. 20 and March 15 to teach elementary school students about electricity, how to stay safe around it and how to identify dangerous situations. More than 14,000 students at more than three dozen schools are expected to participate. At the completion of the current tour, more than 160,000 children across PPL Electric’s 29-county service territory in Pennsylvania will have participated in the program since its inception.
The 30-minute program features a performance by actors from The National Theatre for Children, a Minnesota-based company. While the performances were offered virtually for a period during the COVID-19 pandemic, the actors generally perform in-person in school gymnasiums, auditoriums and cafeterias. And the feedback from teachers tells the story of how popular the program has become.
“This was a great, engaging and educational program,” one teacher wrote in a survey following a 2023 performance. “The kids loved the entertaining show while also learning about electrical safety.”
Another teacher added, “The actors interacted with the students, and they were captivated from the moment the show began. I can assure you that the children retained the information because we were driving down the road and my 1st grader saw a transformer and yelled out, ‘Stay clear!’”
The most recent performance, titled Space Station Safety, is set in an alternate reality that features an Earth colony on Mars. Two actors use props and jokes – lots of jokes – to teach students about what electricity is, how it’s used, and, most importantly, the dangers of electricity and how to stay safe around it.
Schools are given supplemental digital education materials that include e-books, digital games and activities themed around the program so that teachers can discuss electrical safety with their students.
“We pack a lot of really important safety messages into the show and seeing the students’ engagement and enjoyment is always very rewarding,” said Doug Haupt, manager of Public Safety. “Reaching them at such a young age will help ensure they stay safe around electricity throughout their childhood and well beyond.”
PPL E-Smart Kids
We want all kids to be safe around electricity. That’s why we offer the PPL E-Smart Kids website, where children can learn the principles of electricity and important safety skills they need to prevent injuries and save lives. They can also play interactive games, conduct fun experiments and complete hands-on activities. Visit ppl.e-smartkids.com for more information.
Jul 6, 2021 | Community Involvement, Environment
A popular Union County nature area enjoyed by hundreds each year is getting long planned and much needed improvements with a little help from PPL.
Koons Trail along Buffalo Creek in Mifflinburg, originally created by Mifflinburg Middle School teacher Joe Southerton and his students in 1990, is getting new kiosks, footbridges and platforms.
The trail was hit hard by the emerald ash borer, a beetle that feeds on ash trees, and was damaged by previous flooding.
Merrill W. Linn Land & Waterways Conservancy, a Lewisburg-based nonprofit, holds a conservation easement on the trail and maintains it. We granted $3,500 from the PPL Foundation to help fund the improvement project. The upgrades will help the conservancy draw the public to the site and ultimately serve its mission of getting families outside to learn about the environment.
The PPL Foundation contributes more than $3 million annually to nonprofit organizations supporting student success from cradle to career; advancing diversity, equity and inclusion; and promoting the development of vibrant and sustainable communities.
“We are sincerely grateful to PPL,” said Geoff Goodenow, the organization’s coordinator. “The funds from PPL will help to create much needed footbridges along the paths which meander within restored wetlands south of the covered bridge. Visitors to the area enjoy seeing wildflowers, various types of birds and hearing a seasonal chorus of amphibians.”
Each year, hundreds of people participate in programs held in the trail area along with the incalculable number of local residents who visit daily.
The trail is on part of a 30-acre property once owned by Mifflinburg resident and businesswoman Mary Koons. Current owners Ryan and Samantha Sabo have expanded access to the property by creating additional walkways in adjacent wetland meadows and fields. The area is private property but is open to the public from dawn to dusk for people and pets.
The Merrill Linn Conservancy is a 501c3 nonprofit. Its mission includes preservation/conservation of the natural resources and beauty of land and waterways and to engage the public in creating awareness and instilling responsible stewardship of our resources.
Jun 8, 2021 | Community Involvement, Environment
Lorelei is a young artist who took to drawing at a very young age. She just didn’t realize how much art meant to her and what it could lead to until she attended Wildlife Leadership Academy in central Pennsylvania.
Tracie Witter, a PPL Electric Utilities regional affairs director, visited with students at Wildlife Leadership Academy prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It was at the academy where she was introduced to nature journaling. Her artistry and new-found interest in nature became a passion.
“The lessons we learn through the Wildlife Leadership Academy create a platform for us to continue our work as conservation ambassadors with all sorts of interests,” Lorelei wrote in a recent blog post published by the academy. “Citizen scientists don’t just wear lab coats. They write, read, engage, and draw, too. The sky isn’t the limit when it comes to nature. It’s part of the story – a story I enjoy exploring through art.”
Consider Lorelei one of Wildlife Leadership Academy’s many success stories.
The group, started in 2007 to engage and empower high school age youth to become conservation ambassadors, has graduated 760 young people from 62 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, as well as others from eight other states. And those students have reached 113,000 people across the state with their outreach.
Past students have combined to conduct 6,327 conservation education, communication, service, creative art, and outdoor mentorship projects and have engaged in over 24,000 contact hours in these projects and with the public.
We are a proud sponsor of the group, having provided more than $15,000 in support of its programs.
The PPL Foundation contributes more than $3 million annually to nonprofit organizations supporting student success from cradle to career; advancing diversity, equity and inclusion; and promoting the development of vibrant and sustainable communities.
The Academy begins with summer field schools focusing on wildlife/fisheries biology and conservation as well as leadership skills development and continues with community outreach. The five field schools focus on white-tailed deer, bass and warm water fisheries, brook trout and freshwater fisheries, wild turkey, and black bear. The academy works with Cedar Crest College in Allentown to offer three college credits to students who attend a field school and complete necessary requirements.
“The work the academy does to instill a love of nature and leadership skills in so many of your young people really goes a long way in helping us work toward a sustainable future,” said Tracie Witter, a PPL regional affairs director who serves on the academy’s board. “I’ve seen first-hand the profound affect the organization can have on the students who attend these programs. We’re pleased to be able to support those efforts.”
The academy typically receives 200 to 300 nominations for prospective students and accepts 100 new students each year – 20 for each of the five camps. After attending a camp, each student is tasked with sharing what they know with others through various forms of community outreach. Many are invited to return as peer mentors. The academy managed to continue its programs during the COVID-19 pandemic by offering them virtually. For 2021, it is offering a hybrid program.
“When I was growing up, I didn’t know that you could be a plant ecologist or an outdoor writer,” said Michele Kittell Connolly, Wildlife Leadership Academy’s executive director, who has a biology degree. “One of the major benefits our program is that it opens our students to eyes at a young age to the opportunities available for careers in conservation. This career exploration combined with their educational and leadership skills development at the Academy, we believe, gives these young leaders the confidence to make a difference for our natural resource now and well into the future.”
More info on the Wildlife Leadership Academy.
Lorelei’s story.
