Staying informed during emergencies helps you make the best decisions for your family and keep everyone safe.
We’ve made it simple to stay connected and access the information you need when severe weather is in the forecast. Here are some reliable ways to stay updated during storms and outages:
Report or check outage status
If your power goes out, report it by texting “Outage” to TXTPPL (898775), visiting pplelectric.com/outage, or calling 1-800-342-5775.
Stay connected
Set your alert preferences at pplelectric.com/alerts to receive real-time updates on your power status. Choose text, email, phone call, or a mix of all three. You can update your settings anytime to fit your needs.
Monitor our interactive outage map
Check our Outage Map to see current outages, affected areas and estimated restoration times in your community.
Connect with us on social media
Follow us on X (Twitter), Facebook and Instagram for the latest outage updates, safety tips and news. Social media can also help you connect with neighbors and your community during widespread outages.
Keep your devices charged
Smartphones and tablets are lifelines during emergencies. Fully charge your devices before storms and consider a portable charger for backup power.
Power tip: Turn on battery-saver mode and lower your screen brightness to stretch your battery life.
Have a battery-powered or hand-crank radio
Radios can provide reliable updates when cellular networks are down. Tune in to local stations for weather alerts and emergency instructions. Don’t forget to keep extra batteries in your emergency kit.
Create an emergency contact list
Keep an updated list of important numbers, including utilities, emergency services, medical providers and family contacts. Store a printed copy in a waterproof container in your emergency kit and keep another copy in your car.
Enable weather alerts on your phone
Most smartphones can receive Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) for severe weather, flooding and other local emergencies. Make sure these alerts are turned on in your settings so you never miss critical information.
Be prepared, stay connected, stay safe
By following these steps, you’ll be ready to stay informed and connected during unexpected outages. A little preparation now can make a big difference when extreme weather strikes.
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.
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.
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.
