Jul 22, 2025 | Community Involvement, Safety and Security
If Preston Edrington’s 35 years at PPL has taught him one thing, it’s that nothing is more important than safety and the safety of those we work with each day.
Edrington, a journeyman mechanic, credits his experience at PPL Electric Utilities and the company’s safety culture for helping him to know what to do — and how to do it safely — when he happened upon a vehicle accident in the Newport area of Perry County recently.
Edrington was traveling on Route 322 from a job site to the Harrisburg Service Center Annex building when unexpected severe weather — heavy rain and wind — began, prompting him to slow down. He soon noticed a vehicle in front of him swerving and striking a guard rail, apparently after hydroplaning and before rolling over multiple times.
That’s when Edrington’s instincts kicked in. He found a safe place along the shoulder of the road to pull over and he safely made his way over to the vehicle after calling 911.
Once at the vehicle, he and another motorist that stopped to assist worked together to determine the condition of the driver inside and find a way to get him out of the vehicle, which was on its side.
“We finally were able to get him out and I said, ‘Are you OK?’ He had a cut on his knee, and I had a first-aid kit, so I brought him to my truck so that he could treat it. The whole time I was watching him closely to make sure he was alright because I knew he was in shock.”
As the man treated himself and awaited help from medics, Edrington’s coworker, Glenn Klinger, worked together to set up traffic cones and triangles to help make other motorists aware of the overturned vehicle and keep everyone safe.
Eventually, state police officers arrived to secure the area and investigate, and medics arrived to provide medical assistance.
“The [emergency medical technicians] came and checked him out and some other volunteers came to assist and they complimented us on how we set up the traffic cones and triangles (to control traffic),” Edrington said.
“Our training all these years at PPL really is what prepared us to respond to something like that.”
Jun 19, 2025 | Storms and Outages
A round of severe weather is expected to move across our territory this afternoon into the evening hours. The storm is expected to produce wind gusts of 50-plus mph in addition to lightning and rain.
We have been monitoring this storm closely over the past few days and are ready to respond. Even with the best preparation, storms and severe weather can cause damage and result in outages. We’ve activated our storm response plans, which include:
- Activating storm teams with additional personnel in the field, control centers and customer service centers across our 29-county territory.
- Implementing 16-hour shifts for around-the-clock coverage.
- Bringing in additional crews from outside the company to assist in restoration efforts.
We encourage you to also prepare for the storm. We offer the following safety tips and reminders:
- If you encounter a downed wire at any time, assume it’s energized and stay away. If you see one, report it immediately to PPL Electric.
- Just in case you lose power, it’s good to have an emergency kit on hand with food, water, medication and any pet supplies you may need.
- We encourage customers who have medical conditions requiring electricity to make arrangements in case of an emergency.
- Make sure to keep phones and other mobile devices charged.
- Remember that candles can start fires. If you lose power, use flashlights instead. If you use a generator to supply power during an outage, be sure to operate it outdoors.
- For your safety and ours, please keep a safe distance from our crews.
To report or check the status of an outage, visit pplelectric.com/outage.
Jun 8, 2025 | Safety and Security, Storms and Outages
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.
Download our Emergency Preparedness Guide
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.
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.
