{"id":400421,"date":"2020-12-15T16:27:13","date_gmt":"2020-12-15T21:27:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/?p=400421"},"modified":"2020-12-15T16:27:13","modified_gmt":"2020-12-15T21:27:13","slug":"firstenergy-utilities-preparing-for-powerful-winter-storm-to-impact-region-beginning-wednesday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/firstenergy-utilities-preparing-for-powerful-winter-storm-to-impact-region-beginning-wednesday\/","title":{"rendered":"FirstEnergy Utilities Preparing for Powerful Winter Storm to Impact Region Beginning Wednesday"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Company personnel ready to respond to outages caused by heavy snowfall and gusty winds<\/h2>\n

PR Newswire<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\n AKRON, Ohio<\/span>, Dec. 15, 2020<\/span> \/PRNewswire\/ —\u00a0FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) utility personnel are prepared to respond to service interruptions caused by a powerful nor’easter that could dump up to two feet of snow in some areas of Pennsylvania<\/span> and northern New Jersey<\/span> on Wednesday and Thursday, with heavy rain and strong winds expected to lash the Jersey shore. <\/p>\n

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Company meteorologists are tracking the winter storm, which is forecast to move into the region Wednesday morning with widespread snowfall for Pennsylvania<\/span>, New Jersey<\/span>, Maryland<\/span> and West Virginia<\/span> ranging from several inches to two feet. Rain, sleet and wind gusts of up to 55 miles per hour are expected for coastal areas of Jersey Central Power & Light.<\/p>\n

All of FirstEnergy’s electric utilities in the impacted region are implementing storm response plans, which include staffing additional dispatchers, damage assessors and analysts at regional dispatch offices, and arranging to bring in additional line, substation and forestry personnel, as needed, based on the severity of the weather. The company has also notified contractors who work throughout FirstEnergy’s footprint building power lines and installing new equipment to enhance service reliability for customers to be on deck to assist with restoration efforts.<\/p>\n

Additionally, line workers and support staff from FirstEnergy’s Ohio<\/span> utilities are on the road and traveling east to respond to outages in areas impacted by the winter storm, including JCP&L.<\/p>\n

“We are monitoring the weather conditions closely and will deploy resources to the areas that could get hit the hardest,” said Sam Belcher<\/span>, senior vice president of FirstEnergy and president of FirstEnergy Utilities. “The goal of our planning efforts is to restore electric service as quickly as safety allows and to minimize inconvenience our customers experience due to the storm.”\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Company representatives also have been in contact with emergency management officials, state officials, regulators and local officials about the storm preparation efforts.<\/p>\n

During severe weather, customers who are without power are encouraged to call 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877) to report their outage or click the “Report Outage” link on www.firstenergycorp.com<\/a>. Customers are also encouraged to follow three simple steps to avoid dangerous accidental contact with electrical equipment if storms bring down wires:<\/p>\n