We’ve made it easy for you to stay connected and access the information you need during an emergency. Here are some reliable ways to stay updated when sever weather is in the forecast:
Report an outage
If your power goes out, report the outage by texting “Outage” to TXTPPL (898775), by visiting pplelectric.com/outage or by calling us at 1-800-342-5775.
Stay connected
Customize your alert preferences at pplelectric.com/alerts to receive real-time updates on your power status. Choose to receive notifications via text, email, phone or any combination of the three so you’re always informed. You can adjust your settings anytime to match your communication preferences.
Monitor our interactive outage map
Want to see what’s happening in your area? Visit our Outage Map to view current outages, affected areas and get estimated restoration times.
Connect with us on social media
Stay connected and following us on social media for the latest news, safety tips andinformation.s and outage news. Follow us on X (Twitter), Facebook and Instagram to receive real-time updates and connect with our customer service team. Social media also helps you stay connected with your community during widespread outages.
Keep your devices charged
Smartphones and tablets are essential lifelines during emergencies. Ensure your devices are fully charged before anticipated storms and consider investing in a power bank or portable charger as backup. This ensures you can stay connected to receive alerts and communicate with loved ones.
Power tip: Enable battery-saving mode and reduce screen brightness to extend your device’s battery life during outages.
Have a battery-powered or hand-crank radio
A battery-powered or hand-crank radio provides reliable access to information, especially when cellular networks are congested or unavailable. Tune in to local news stations for weather updates, emergency instructions and restoration timelines. Remember to keep extra batteries in your emergency kit.
Create an emergency contact list
Maintain an updated list of important phone numbers, including utilities, emergency services, medical providers and family contacts. Keep physical copies in multiple locations where you can easily access them during an outage.
Safety hint: Store this information in a waterproof container in your emergency kit, and also keep a copy in your vehicle.
Be prepared, stay connected, stay safe
By implementing these strategies, you can remain informed and connected during unexpected power outages. Remember that preparation is key to navigating emergencies safely and confidently.
If there’s one thing Meghan Fonda has learned as part of her job at PPL Electric Utilities, it’s to be prepared for the unexpected every day.
It’s practically part of her job description.
As an emergency planning supervisor for the Emergency Preparedness department, Fonda is responsible for helping to keep employees prepared for any emergency or storm that may occur in the utility’s 29-county Pennsylvania service area. She also helps prepare her co-workers for a safe and swift response when power outages occur.
“My job is all about making things better for our 1.5 million customers,” said Fonda, who earned a mechanical engineering degree from Florida State University. “It’s all about being able to restore power in a safe and timely manner when our customers experience outages. Each day, I’m making sure we’re prepared.”
Fonda, in her fifth year at PPL Electric, has a wide range of responsibilities, from making sure employees are familiar with their storm response roles and keeping them up to date on training to maintaining procedures and relationships with companies that provide assistance when PPL Electric needs to supplement its workforce to help restore power when severe storms strike. She also keeps in close contact with emergency management organizations.
Fonda is one of hundreds of employees who have an emergency/storm response role in addition to their normal job. We always have a team of employees on call to respond at a moment’s notice when outages occur. That includes engineers, lineworkers, damage assessors, environmental staff and logistical personnel.
When storms and storm damage are imminent, we activate storm teams with additional personnel in the field, control centers and customer service centers across our 29-county service territory. When we activate these storm and emergency response teams, their priority is to assist with our storm restoration work.
We participate in training exercises each month throughout the year to help ensure our employees are well versed in their emergency response roles. That regular training includes drills that help us stay familiar with what we need to do in cases of storm-caused outages, but also other emergencies, such as wildfires.
We also have staff closely monitoring weather forecasts and consulting with meteorologists to ensure we’re well prepared for any storm activity that may cause damage to our power delivery system.
“I really do like the emergency response aspect,” Fonda said. “It’s rewarding to know that the work we’re doing each day is benefitting our customers in some way. And whatever issue comes our way, we’ll be as prepared as we can be to meet it head on.”
For more about how you can prepare for storms, check out this video. And for more about how we respond to power outages, click here.
Does your family have an emergency plan in case of severe weather? You might be surprised to learn that a lot of Americans don’t have an emergency plan.
We take a lot of steps to keep our loved ones safe. We childproof our homes, buckle up in the car and install smoke detectors. But are we ready for an emergency, like a power outage or a severe summer storm?
What would your family do if the power went out for days during a heat wave? Do you have enough food, water and other supplies? Every family’s needs are different, and your plan should reflect that. For example, families with young children, pets or someone with medical needs might require more detailed planning.
Why planning matters
Having a plan in place before summer storms hit can make all the difference. It’s much easier to stay calm and focused when you’ve thought through the details ahead of time. Knowing where to go, who to contact and what to have on hand will help you keep your loved ones safe.
With storm season approaching, now is a great time to review and update your emergency plan. Even if you already have a plan, it’s important to make sure it still meets your family’s current needs.
Get started on your plan
If you don’t have a plan yet, now is the perfect time to create one. Here are a few questions to ask yourself:
Does everyone know who to contact and where to go if a summer storm hits when you’re not home?
Do you have an emergency kit with enough supplies for at least three days?
Does everyone know how to stay informed with the latest weather alerts?
Resources to help you prepare
We’ve gathered essential information from trusted sources like FEMA, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Red Cross and the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services to create a comprehensive guide just for you. Our guide brings together the best practices and recommendations from these expert organizations into one convenient place, making it easy for you to review and follow.
Key tips:
Keep a paper copy of your emergency contacts: If your phone dies during a storm, you’ll still have access to important numbers.
Use our checklist to build your emergency kit: It’s designed with all the details you need to be prepared for summer weather emergencies.
Teach your kids what to do during a storm emergency: Help them stay calm and know what to expect.
Check out the infographics below for more detailed guidance on creating your emergency kit and preparing your family. Being prepared for summer storms is essential, not just for yourself, but for everyone who depends on you.
Do you know what to do if you’re involved in a vehicle crash involving power lines, or if you come across downed wires on the road?
PPL Electric Utilities wants to make sure you’re prepared for those scenarios and is now offering free electrical safety resources for drivers. Our new website – pplelectric.com/DriverSafety – provides tips, infographics and free teaching kits for instructors who teach young drivers. We’re also sending information to driver education teachers at schools across our 29-county service territory about how to order free instructional guides.
“The safety of our customers and our employees is our number one priority, and driving is an activity that most of us do every day,” said Doug Haupt, manager-Public Safety. “This is important information for everyone to have to help keep them safe when they are in or near an accident or downed wires.”
The website offers instructions for what to do when crashing into a utility pole, when you come across fallen power lines and how to do the “shuffle” if you need to get away from downed power lines. There is also a guide to teach power line safety in under 10 minutes.
We are also offering a free instructional kit with 20 power line safety cards for drivers brochures, 20 glove box cards and an instructional guide, all of which can be ordered here.
We encourage our customers to take advantage of these free resources.
And remember to call 911 and PPL Electric Utilities at 1‑800‑342‑5775 (1‑800‑DIAL‑PPL) immediately to report downed wires.
The arrival of the summer months brings about the inevitable threat of severe rain, wind and lightning, and those summer storms can cause power outages.
The work we do year-round – from upgrading and strengthening the equipment on our electric delivery system to trimming trees near our power lines to reduce the likelihood of tree and limb-caused outages – is designed to help ensure we provide you with the safest, most reliable power possible.
And the work we’re doing is making a difference.
In 2025, we’ve seen a 14% decrease in tree-related power outages and a 22% decrease in the total number of minutes customers are without power when compared to the same time last year.
Despite those efforts, severe storms can still cause power outages, so we want our customers to always be prepared. There are some simple, but important steps to take to stay safe and prepared. Here’s what you can do:
Before storms
Have an emergency kit with food, water, medication and any pet supplies you may need in any outage or emergency at any time of the year. Store it in an airtight container.
Make sure to have batteries and battery-operated flashlights readily available.
If you have medical equipment that requires power, have a backup location to go to if you lose power.
Sign up for PPL Alerts at pplelectric.com/alerts to make sure you receive power restoration updates when outages occur.
Charge your phones and other devices when severe storms are imminent.
During storms
If you lose power, please report your outage online at pplelectric.com/outage or text “Outage” to TXTPPL (898775).
Remember that candles can start fires. If you lose power, use flashlights instead.
If you encounter a downed wire at any time, assume it’s energized and stay away.
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.
If you lose power, it’s a good idea to disconnect appliances and electronics during the outage to eliminate the risk of damage.
Avoid opening your refrigerator and freezer as much as possible.
Do not use ovens or ranges to heat your home.
Unplug sensitive home electronics. Turn off ovens and space heaters that may have been on when the outage occurred.
During extended outages, check with your local government about temporary shelters.
For more information on staying safe during storms and general electrical safety, visit pplelectric.com/OutageSafety.
