Stay prepared for severe summer storms

Jun 1, 2025 | Safety and Security, Storms and Outages

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.