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.
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.
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.
We’re committed to delivering reliable power no matter what the weather brings – a commitment that is rooted in year-round preparation.
Over the past decade, we have made significant investments to build a stronger, smarter and more resilient grid. From clearing vegetation around power lines and replacing aging equipment to installing state-of-the-art grid technology, we’re dedicated to keeping the lights on for our customers.
While we prepare for winter storm season, we have tips to help you prepare and stay safe as well.
Storm Safety
However, even with the best preparation and information, storms and severe weather can cause damage and result in outages. Adjust alert preferences to receive a phone call, text or email at pplelectric.com/alerts to stay informed during a storm.
If you experience an outage, report it by calling 1-800-DIAL-PPL, by visiting pplelectric.com/outage or texting “Outage” to TXTPPL.
A few other important storm safety tips to remember:
Charge your phones and other devices in advance of a storm so they are fully powered.
Keep generators far from buildings and do not operate them in confined spaces, such as garages.
Stay away from any downed wires and always assume they are live and carry electricity. Report downed wires by calling 1-800-DIAL-PPL.
Winter Energy Savings
Easy, inexpensive tips to help you save energy and money when the temperature declines:
Leave your curtains and blinds open. During the day, capture the sun’s light and heat to gain warmth from the sun. At night, close your curtains and blinds to prevent that free heat from escaping.
Prevent fireplace heat loss. Keep the damper closed when you’re not using your fireplace so warm air doesn’t escape through the chimney. Energy-efficient fireplace grates also help you save by pulling cool air out of your room and into the fireplace while bringing warm air back into the room.
Reverse the direction of your ceiling fans. Yes, fans can also keep you warm. Flip the switch to change the direction of the blades so they spin clockwise and pull warm air downward.
Winterize windows and doors. Inspect all your doors, windows and ductwork for gaps that could leak heat from your home. Many of these cracks and leaks can easily be fixed with caulk and weatherstripping.
Adjust your thermostat. When you’re home and awake, set the heat as low as it feels comfortable. Aim for 68 degrees as an optimal temperature. Wearing warmer clothing or grabbing a blanket can help keep you cozy. While you’re sleeping or out of the house, lower the thermostat by 10 to 15 degrees. Lowering the thermostat for at least eight hours can save up to 10% on your heating bill. A programmable thermostat will make it even easier to save.
The winter can be unpredictable and unforgiving, but our team is always ready to respond. Our grid is strong, reliable and evolving, and our employees are committed to keeping you safe and warm this winter.
Reliability investments like developing these first-of-its-kind resistance drills help us reduce costs and keep the lights on for our 1.5 million customers. These drills help measure decay on both the inside and outside of utility poles to assess their health and identify when poles need to be replaced.
Severe storms brought damaging winds and lightning across our entire 29-county service territory late Wednesday afternoon into the evening. We have seen significant damage from downed trees and limbs that caused nearly 1,300 individual damage locations. Since the storm began more than 145,000 customers experienced a power outage.
Our crews continue to work around the clock as safely and quickly as possible to restore all customers. As of 3 p.m. (6/28), we have restored power to more than 137,500 customers and about 7,600 of our 1.5 million customers remain without power.
We have hundreds of personnel responding to the storm, providing both field-based and back-office emergency response operations across our service territory. This includes lineworkers, foresters, damage assessors and call center staff. In preparation for the storm, we brought in more than 600 workers from outside our company to assist in restoration efforts. Due to the extent of the damage, we have obtained additional crews, increasing that number to nearly 1,000. Due to the extent of the damage, this has been a multi-day restoration effort.
We have assigned estimated restoration times (ERTs) for areas in our territory. Because of the scope of repairs, full restoration could extend through Saturday afternoon for some customers, although many customers will have their power restored sooner. As crews are dispatched to specific jobs within a region, customers may receive an updated ERT.
Safety is a core value for us. Remember, should you encounter a downed wire at any time, assume it’s energized and stay away. Report downed wires to PPL Electric or local emergency response agencies.
While we continue to our work, we encourage our customers to remain connected and stay safe with these tips:
Stay connected
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 online at pplelectric.com/outage.
For information on storm safety, outage restoration priorities and more, visit pplelectric.com/outage
Stay safe:
Remember, should you encounter a downed wire at any time, assume it’s energized and stay away. Report downed wires to PPL Electric or local emergency response agencies.
Never operate a portable generator in an enclosed area, like a garage, where deadly carbon-monoxide fumes could accumulate.
Always use flashlights instead of candles as they can start fires.
Turn off appliances that were on when the power went off.
Create alternate plans if you have a medical condition that relies on electricity or call 9-1-1 for assistance.
Check on elderly family members, neighbors and others who may need assistance during an outage period.
For your safety and ours, please keep a safe distance from our crews.
Ice and Water:
Customers who have been without power for 24 hours or more can purchase ice and water from any local vendor at their expense and send us receipts. Once received, we will credit those costs back to the customer’s account. Each customer can purchase a maximum of three 10-pound bags of ice and three gallons of water per day. Customers should mail their receipts and account number to:
PPL Electric Utilities
Attention: Ice and Water
827 Hausman Road
Allentown, Pennsylvania 18104
