Sep 1, 2025 | Storms and Outages
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.
- Prepare an emergency kit with food, water, medication, flashlights and pet supplies.
- Charge your phones and devices.
- 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.
Feb 18, 2025 | Reliability
For PPL Electric Utilities Engineers Miguel Mendoza, Chris Jarrah, Amr El Hakim and their teams, future-proofing the electric grid goes well beyond new technology or software. It means combining innovative thinking, a problem-solving outlook and always keeping the real-world impact in mind, which for them means that when the switch is flipped, the power goes on.
PPL Electric engineers are constantly pushing the boundaries of innovation to modernize the grid, enhance reliability and ensure a more secure and efficient electric system for our customers. As we celebrate National Engineers Week, we’re spotlighting a groundbreaking project that demonstrates the critical role engineers play in shaping the future of energy: Intelligent Electronic Device (IED) Management.
IEDs are important components within substations that enable automation, real-time monitoring and remote operations that keep our electric grid running smoothly. However, as technology evolves, it’s critical to have an efficient and scalable system to remotely manage, configure and update these devices. That’s where IED Management comes in.
This innovative project — being worked on by Mendoza, Jarrah, El Hakim and their teams — focuses on replacing outdated substation technology with a next-generation IED Management solution. The goal? To enhance system security, improve operational efficiency and future-proof our grid infrastructure. The impact of this project extends beyond just technology upgrades. It also directly benefits our customers by improving reliability, reducing outages and lowering operational costs. With real-time remote troubleshooting and automated updates, PPL Electric can respond to issues faster and with fewer onsite visits. Additionally, these updates make our grid more resilient, ensuring a safer and more secure electric system.
“This project revolutionizes the way we manage and secure our substations,” Jarrah said. “By automating critical tasks, we’re enhancing safety and boosting efficiency. It’s a significant step toward a more modern, resilient electric grid as we continue to build the utility of the future.”
For engineers like Miguel, this project represents the perfect blend of innovation, problem-solving and real-world impact. IED Management is more than just upgrading technology — it’s about securing the future of our electric grid and making a tangible difference for the communities we serve.
“This project is exciting because it combines innovation with practical engineering solutions to modernize the grid,” Mendoza said. “It’s fulfilling to contribute to something that directly enhances reliability and efficiency for our customers.”
At PPL Electric, we know that the future of energy depends on the brilliant minds of our engineers. Projects like IED Management showcase how engineering connects cutting-edge technology with real-world applications, solving challenges in security, compliance and operational efficiency. For those considering a career in engineering, this work is an example of how you can be at the forefront of powering the future. We’re proud to celebrate our engineers, whose dedication, expertise and innovation drive our mission forward every day.
Do you want to engineer the utility of the future? PPL Electric offers a variety of exciting careers in engineering. Explore current opportunities and join an exceptionally brilliant team by visiting pplweb.com/careers.
May 24, 2023 | Reliability, Storms and Outages
As summer approaches, so does the start of the summer storm season.
We want you to know we’re prepared to continue delivering safe and reliable service in all kinds of weather.
One way we keep the lights on during storms is through the investments we’ve made in our Smart Grid. If an outage occurs, our self-healing grid can sense the problem and automatically reroute power to restore as many customers as possible, almost instantly. This technology — along with replacing older equipment, upgrading to storm-resistant poles and wires and using data to proactively trim trees before they fall on wires — helps us reduce outages and respond quicker if an outage occurs.
We’ve also made it easier than ever to stay informed. You can customize your outage alerts to receive a phone call, text message or email with updates on repair crew status and estimated restoration times if you lose power. You can customize those alerts and also sign up for billing and payment alerts on our Alert Preferences page.
Even with the best preparation and information, storms and severe weather can cause damage and result in outages. We keep our outage map updated with real-time information on outage causes and estimated restoration times. If your power goes out, you can help us by reporting your outage in a few simple steps on our Outages and Issues page.
No matter what Mother Nature throws our way, we’ll be ready. And, our crews will be there to work as safely and quickly as possible to restore power if needed.
Sep 1, 2022 | Reliability
September is recognized annually as National Preparedness Month—an opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of preparing for disasters and emergencies.
What’s more, for the third year in a row, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting an above-average hurricane season in the Atlantic.
Pennsylvania doesn’t have a coastline, but we can still be impacted by hurricanes, tropical storms and other bouts of severe weather. We want you to know that when mother nature lashes out, we’re ready to respond to power outages as safely and quickly as possible, around the clock, to get the lights back on.
Not only are we prepared to respond to outages, we’ve taken steps to help avoid them altogether, despite the weather.
The investments we’ve made in our electric grid have made it more reliable than ever, even during extreme weather. Sensors on our smart grid identify outages quickly and can automatically reroute power to get as many customers back up and running as possible, often in seconds. In fact, since 2015, our advanced grid has helped prevent more than 1.4 million customer outages.
Like we always say: The best outage is an outage that never happens in the first place.
Smart grid devices are just one part of our investments to continuously improve the reliability of your electric service. Other work includes new power lines and substations; stronger, more storm-resistant poles; and trimming more trees. Find out more about the ways we’re strengthening the electric delivery system to meet your expectations for safe, reliable service at pplelectric.com/reliability.
Be prepared. Stay informed.
Have you managed your alerts recently? We’ve made it easier than ever for you to stay informed during severe weather with our automated alerts. You can receive information regarding outages, repair crew status and estimated restoration times, all via text message, phone or email. Pick your preferences at pplelectric.com/alerts. And remember that you can report or check on an outage at pplelectric.com/outage.
Plus, we use social media to provide storm updates and share tips on how to stay safe before, during and after storms. Follow us @PPLElectric for all the latest news and updates.
May 24, 2022 | Reliability
Our mission is to provide safe and reliable electric service to power your lives. That’s why we’re always working on reliability efforts, like trimming trees and investing in stronger poles.
Recently, our crews in Monroe County completed a major project to relocate powerlines that were causing reliability issues. The lines ran through heavily wooded areas that were hard to access, making it difficult for us to restore power after storms.
We also added larger and more storm-resistant poles and a state-of-the-art device to help prevent outages.
The project took nearly 1,000 hours to complete!
Want to learn more about our reliability investments? Check out pplelectric.com/reliability and follow us on social media @PPLElectric.
