Delmarva Power’s emergency response organization is prepared for the possible impact of Hurricane Florence, the company announced.
Delaware could see rain, flooding and high surf from the massive storm that is now expected to hit on the North Carolina-South Carolina border.
In addition to more than 250 internal line workers and overhead line contractors, Delmarva Power has 133 tree-trimming personnel, as well as crews from its sister companies Atlantic City Electric and Pepco, available to assist in any restoration effort.
Should extra assistance be required, the company will call on shared resources from its Exelon family, including Baltimore Gas & Electric, PECO in Philadelphia, and ComEd in Chicago, the company noted.
Should Florence not impact the Delmarva Power service area, company personnel and local contractors are also prepared to assist utilities in areas taking a direct hit.
Delmarva Power most recently provided restoration assistance in Puerto Rico and to areas of Florida and Georgia that were affected by Hurricane Irma last September.
Delmarva also passed along storm preparation tips:
The safety of our customers and communities is always our top priority. We encourage our customers to also prepare and stay safe during severe weather events:
- Have a flashlight with fresh batteries on each floor of your home.
- Keep a supply of bottled water and easy-to-prepare, non-perishable foods available.
- Charge cell phones and other mobile devices in advance.
- Have an updated emergency supply kit. Keep a portable radio or TV, or NOAA weather radio (with batteries) on hand to monitor weather forecasts and official information.
Safety tips:
- Stay away from downed wires and assume any downed wire or damaged electric equipment is energized.
- Do not enter basements that are flooded, because water at certain levels can be energized.
- Stay away from any flood-covered electric equipment in neighborhoods, even if there is no electricity in the area.
- When using a personal generator, never keep it indoors or inside an attached garage. A portable generator is an internal combustion engine that exhausts a deadly gas called carbon monoxide or CO.
- Also, do not connect a generator directly to the home’s wiring. If a generator is plugged into the electrical circuits of a home, power can back-feed onto the local energy grid and cause severe injuries.
- Customers are also encouraged to identify a safe alternate location where they can stay in case of an extended outage.
- Stay tuned to local news broadcasts for the latest weather and emergency information and follow the advice of local emergency management officials.
To report an outage or downed wire, customers should call 1-800-898-8042 or customers can report and track their outage through our mobile app or our website at delmarva.com.
If outages do occur, crews will assess the damage and assign an estimated restoration time. Depending on the extent of damages, restorations times can change.
