Pittsburgh Weather: Safety tips for incoming wicked weather
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — With another round of wicked weather coming Wednesday, that means more work for utility crews.
They are expecting more power outages after just getting the lights back on after this weekend's storms. The silver lining of this storm is it is expected to be less destructive. The last two weekends have seen windstorms blow down anything in their path.
"Those types of storms take longer to recover from because there are thousands of unique areas of damage," FirstEnergy spokesperson Todd Meyer said Wednesday.
FirstEnergy, which owns West Penn Power and Penn Power, said a few hundred people between Mercer and Lawrence counties still didn't have power earlier Wednesday. Meyer said what is being forecasted is hopefully not going to be a repeat of the weekend.
"Hopeful is not the way to plan for a storm. We plan for the worst," Meyer said.
Crews from around the state have been working with FirstEnergy to get the lights back on. The company has been in storm mode for 15 consecutive days. That is 16 hours on and eight hours of rest until everyone has power.
"Just consider they are people, not robots. They've been out there for days," Meyer said.
With long days like that, there are considerations to make so no one gets burned out and risks safety. Crews go over that each morning.
"Electricity is unforgiving. If you come in contact with it, it can kill you in a microsecond or injure you," Meyer said.
The power company tries to move crews around to other jobs to prevent one crew from carrying the load and being exhausted.
If a power line goes down near you, you're asked to stay at least 30 feet away. Here are some other outage tips:
DLC
- Keeping supplies in an emergency preparedness kit. Include water bottles, non-perishable food, blankets, a first-aid kit, flashlights, portable chargers and a battery-powered radio.
- Checking medications that require refrigeration. Consider keeping a cooler handy in case needed.
- Ensuring that your cell phone, tablet and other important electronic devices are fully charged.
- Taking shelter in a safe location when necessary. Avoid sitting near windows or glass doors and keep them closed.
- Reporting downed power lines and other potentially dangerous conditions by calling 412-393-7000. Always avoid going near downed lines.
- Immediately calling 911 if you or someone you know experiences a medical emergency during an outage.
FirstEnergy
- Keep electronic devices such as cell phones, laptops and tablets fully charged.
- Have a car charger on-hand to charge mobile devices if your power is out. If you have a smart phone, this will ensure you have access to online information sources.
- Keep a flashlight, portable radio and extra batteries handy in the event of a power outage. Tune to a local station for current storm information. • Use care when burning candles; open flames are a dangerous fire hazard.
- Do not use gas stoves, kerosene heaters or other open-flame heat sources to prevent deadly carbon monoxide gas from building up in your home.
- If you have a water well and pump, keep an emergency supply of bottled water and/or fill your bathtub with fresh water.
- Stock an emergency supply of convenience foods that do not require cooking.
- Consider having a hard-wired phone available to report an outage or emergency. A plain, hard-wired phone can operate on power delivered through the phone line.