When severe storms moved through our service territory over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, they left behind widespread damage and more than 260,000 customer outages.
What followed was one of the largest restoration efforts in PPL Electric’s history.
As we observe Lineworker Appreciation Day on July 10, we want to recognize the thousands of employees, contractors and mutual assistance personnel who worked around the clock to restore power safely and efficiently to the communities we serve.
While customers often see the bucket trucks and crews making repairs in their neighborhoods, the restoration effort extends far beyond what happens along roadsides and in backyards. Lineworkers worked alongside forestry crews, damage assessors, logistics specialists, dispatchers, mechanics, safety professionals and many others to coordinate a complex response across our service territory.
More than 3,000 personnel supported restoration efforts during this event, making it the largest restoration workforce PPL Electric has assembled since Hurricane Sandy.
Crews repaired broken poles, replaced damaged equipment, rebuilt sections of power lines and navigated challenging conditions to bring customers back online. At the same time, support teams coordinated staging areas, delivered materials, assessed damage and worked to ensure crews had the resources needed to perform their jobs safely.
We are especially grateful to the mutual assistance crews who traveled from across the United States and Canada to help our communities recover. Their willingness to leave home and support customers they have never met reflects the strong partnership that exists across the electric industry.
Restoration work can be demanding, requiring long hours, specialized skills and an unwavering commitment to safety. During major storm events, lineworkers and support personnel often work day and night until every customer who can be restored is restored.
As this restoration effort comes to a close, we want to thank every member of the team who played a role in helping our customers recover.
On Lineworker Appreciation Day — and every day — we recognize and appreciate the dedication, professionalism and service of the men and women who help keep the lights on and respond when our communities need them most.
Power outage? Text “outage” to TXTPPL (898775) or report it here.
Storm Restoration Update: Wednesday, July 8 at 8 a.m.
Our crews continue to make strong progress restoring service following multiple rounds of severe weather over the holiday weekend. We thank customers for their patience as we complete restoration efforts for one of the top 10 most impactful storms in our Company’s history.
Here are a few quick figures:
The total number of customers who experienced an outage since Friday is 271,700.
As of this morning, we have restored service to more than 98% of these outages.
We are on schedule to restore power to the remaining 3,800 customers today.
While outage numbers continue to decline, many of the outages that remain are among the most complex repairs from this storm. Crews are facing multiple broken poles, extensive tree damage and long spans of damaged wire before power can be safely restored at remaining damage locations.
We continue to refine restoration times as crews arrive at individual jobs and complete detailed field assessments. You may see ERTs become more specific as work progresses and additional damage is identified or repaired. If repairs require more time than currently estimated, we’ll send affected customers updated information as quickly as possible.
Every outage matters and we will not stop until every customer has their service back on.
Storm Restoration Update: Tuesday, July 7 at 8 a.m.
Since the severe weather hit our area this weekend, our teams have been working day and night to assess and repair damage caused by the storm and restore power to customers impacted.
Here are just a few updates as of this morning:
Crews restored power to more than 245,000 customers since Friday.
They repaired 1,374 individual damage locations, including downed wires, broken poles and damaged equipment.
As of Monday night, more than 85% of affected customers had power restored.
We have more than 3,000 personnel supporting restoration efforts across the territory.
The damage from this series of storms placed it among the top 10 most impactful storms in our history.
This is the largest restoration workforce we have assembled since Hurricane Sandy, reflecting both the scale of the damage and our commitment to restoring power as safely and quickly as possible.
Additional mutual assistance crews continue to arrive and are being deployed to the areas of greatest need. We expect to restore service to at least 95% of impacted customers by 11 p.m. tonight, with nearly all remaining customers restored by 11 p.m. on Wednesday, July 8.
Safety Remains Our Top Priority
While we continue our work, we encourage you to remain connected and stay safe with these tips:
Stay connected:
Report and check the status of power outages online at pplelectric.com/outage or text “Outage” to TXTPPL (898775).
Stay informed by downloading our free mobile app, where you can easily report and track outages.
Sign up for alerts to stay connected and receive outage updates at pplelectric.com/alerts.
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 Reimbursement Available
We’re offering customers experiencing power outages reimbursement for ice and water via a bill credit for the following:
Up to three gallons of water per day
Up to three 10-pound bags of ice per day
To participate, mail itemized receipts along with your account number to:
PPL Ice and Water Program
827 Hausman Road
Allentown, PA 18104
We appreciate your patience as crews continue working around the clock. We also want to thank local officials, emergency management agencies, first responders and community leaders for their partnership throughout this restoration effort.
Our teams remain focused on safely restoring service to every customer as quickly as conditions allow.
Storm Restoration Update: Monday, July 6 at 4 p.m.
Crews continue to make steady progress and have restored power to more than 14,000 additional customers today. That brings the total number of customers restored to more than 225,000 since the storm began. You can expect to see continued progress this evening and through the night as crews complete repairs and return additional circuits and neighborhoods to service.
We currently have over 2,000 personnel supporting restoration efforts across our service territory, including PPL employees in the field and back office, contractors, forestry resources, damage assessors and mutual assistance crews from our sister utilities in Rhode Island and Kentucky, as well as Canada, Florida, Texas, Alabama and other states. Additional mutual assistance resources are arriving today and tomorrow and will be deployed to our hardest-hit areas as they become available.
As restoration progress continues, we will update estimated restoration times (ERTs) on our outage map. We expect full restoration work to continue through Wednesday, July 8, with many customers restored sooner. We’re continuing to assess remaining damage and will narrow down ERTs as crews arrive to make repairs.
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.
We know how difficult it is to be without power. Crews will continue working to repair any damage and restore power and will not stop until every customer has their power restored.
Storm Restoration Update: Monday, July 6 at noon
As of noon today, crews have restored power to more than 210,000 customers and repaired damage at 849 individual locations since Friday.
As restoration efforts progress, the work that remains is often the most complex and time-intensive. While we’ve restored power to the vast majority of affected customers, the remaining outages often involve significant infrastructure damage that requires extensive repairs, including widespread tree damage, broken poles, downed wires and difficult-to-access locations.
Before line crews can begin these repairs, forestry crews may need to clear trees and debris, damage assessors must evaluate the extent of the damage, and support personnel may need to bring in materials and equipment. Each step is critical to ensuring repairs are completed safely.
We appreciate our customers’ patience as we make repairs and restore power to everyone affected by this weekend’s storms.
Reporting outages online or by texting “Outage” to TXTPPL (898775)
Storm Restoration Update: Monday, July 6 at 8 a.m.
Since the severe weather hit our area this weekend, our teams have been working day and night to assess and repair damage caused by the storm and restore power to customers impacted.
Here are just a few updates:
Crews restored power to more than 196,000 customers since Friday.
They identified more than 2,360 locations of individual damage, including downed wires, broken poles and damaged equipment and repaired 750 so far.
We have more than 2,000 personnel supporting restoration efforts across the territory.
The damage from this series of storms placed it among the top 10 most impactful storms in our history.
Additional weather from last night’s heavy rain and lightning caused about 300 new damage locations, but our crews will continue working until all customers have their power restored.
Restoration Times
We understand how important accurate restoration times are to customers. All customers currently experiencing outages have been assigned an estimated restoration time (ERT). As crews continue assessing damage and arrive at individual repair locations, those estimates will become more precise.
Due to the extensive damage caused by this storm, restoration is expected to be a multi-day effort, with restoration work continuing through Wednesday, July 8, but many customers will be restored sooner.
Reporting outages online or by texting “Outage” to TXTPPL (898775)
Safety Remains Our Top Priority
Safety remains our top priority throughout the restoration process. While we understand customers want their power restored as quickly as possible, crews must carefully assess and repair damage to ensure the electric system is safe and reliable before re-energizing lines.
Downed Wires
If you encounter a downed wire:
Stay far away.
Assume it is energized.
Keep children and pets away.
Report it immediately to PPL Electric or local emergency responders.
Generator Safety
If using a portable generator:
Never operate it indoors or in an enclosed area such as a garage.
Keep generators away from windows, doors and vents to prevent carbon monoxide exposure.
During an Outage
Use flashlights instead of candles.
Turn off appliances that were running when power was lost.
Check on elderly neighbors, family members and others who may need assistance.
If you have a medical condition that depends on electricity, implement backup plans or call 9-1-1 in an emergency.
We also ask customers to keep a safe distance from crews as they work to restore service.
Ice and Water Reimbursement Available
We recognize these extended outages can be especially challenging. We’re offering customers experiencing power outages reimbursement for ice and water via a bill credit for the following:
Up to three gallons of water per day
Up to three 10-pound bags of ice per day
To participate, mail itemized receipts along with your account number to:
PPL Ice and Water Program
827 Hausman Road
Allentown, PA 18104
We know these extended outages are frustrating, and we appreciate our customers’ patience as crews work around the clock to complete these complex repairs and safely restore service to every customer possible.
Storm Restoration Update: Sunday, July 5
Crews Working Around the Clock Following One of the Most Significant Storms in Company History
PPL Electric Utilities crews continue working around the clock to restore power following a severe storm system that caused widespread damage across our service territory.
Since the storm began, we have restored power to more than 130,000 customers, but significant work remains as crews continue repairing extensive damage and rebuilding portions of the electric system.
This event ranks among the 10 most impactful storms in PPL Electric’s history, with heavy rain, strong winds and falling trees causing damage across the region. Since Friday, we have identified more than 2,360 individual locations of damage, including downed wires, broken poles and damaged equipment.
A Large-Scale Restoration Effort
Before the storms arrived, we activated our emergency response plan and secured additional resources to support restoration efforts.
Today, more than 1,000 personnel are supporting the response, including line workers, tree crews, damage assessors, engineers and support personnel. These teams are working around the clock to safely assess damage, remove fallen trees and limbs, replace damaged equipment and restore service to customers.
What Crews Are Working On
Storm restoration is a complex process that involves much more than simply repairing a power line.
Before power can be restored, crews must:
Assess damage across the system.
Clear roads and work areas.
Remove downed trees and vegetation.
Repair or replace poles, wires, transformers and other equipment.
Test equipment to ensure it can be safely returned to service.
Restoration Times
We understand how important accurate restoration times are to customers.
All customers currently experiencing outages have been assigned an estimated restoration time (ERT). As crews continue assessing damage and arrive at individual repair locations, those estimates will become more precise.
Due to the extensive damage caused by this storm, restoration is expected to be a multi-day effort, with restoration work continuing through Wednesday, July 8.
Reporting outages online or by texting “Outage” to TXTPPL (898775)
Safety Remains Our Top Priority
As restoration work continues, we ask customers to remain alert and follow important safety precautions.
Downed Wires
If you encounter a downed wire:
Stay far away.
Assume it is energized.
Keep children and pets away.
Report it immediately to PPL Electric or local emergency responders.
Generator Safety
If using a portable generator:
Never operate it indoors or in an enclosed area such as a garage.
Keep generators away from windows, doors and vents to prevent carbon monoxide exposure.
During an Outage
Use flashlights instead of candles.
Turn off appliances that were running when power was lost.
Check on elderly neighbors, family members and others who may need assistance.
If you have a medical condition that depends on electricity, implement backup plans or call 9-1-1 in an emergency.
We also ask customers to keep a safe distance from crews as they work to restore service.
Ice and Water Reimbursement Available
We recognize that extended outages can be especially challenging during the summer months.
For this storm event, PPL Electric has waived the normal 24-hour outage requirement for its ice and water reimbursement program.
Eligible customers may receive reimbursement, through a bill credit, for:
Up to three gallons of water per day
Up to three 10-pound bags of ice per day
To participate, mail itemized receipts along with your account number to:
PPL Ice and Water Program
827 Hausman Road
Allentown, PA 18104
Thank You for Your Patience
We appreciate the patience and support of our customers and communities during this significant storm recovery effort.
While substantial progress has already been made, work continues across our service territory. Our crews remain focused on safely restoring power as quickly as possible and will continue working until every customer affected by this storm has service restored.
Strong winds caused extensive damage across our system, resulting in more than 88,000 outages. Our crews continue to work as safely and efficiently as possible and have restored power to more than 74,400 customers as of about 2 p.m. today.
We know how difficult it is to be without power. That’s why 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. We also have crews from outside our region assisting PPL Electric crews in the restoration efforts.
Since the storm began, there have been nearly 1,000 locations of damage on our system. We’re assessing remaining damage and have assigned estimated restoration times for areas in our territory. Because of the scope of repairs, full restoration will continue through Friday, although many customers will get power restored sooner.
Here are some ways you can stay safe and informed while our restoration efforts are underway:
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.
Stay warm:
Keep warm air in by using your doors as infrequently as possible, and close off unoccupied rooms.
Close blinds to keep warm air in.
Our crews will not stop until every customer has their power restored. For updates, visit pplelectric.com/outage.
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.
