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West Penn Power says at least 200 contractors will be on standby for possible heavy winds this weekend

West Penn Power says at least 200 contractors will be on standby this weekend
West Penn Power says at least 200 contractors will be on standby this weekend 01:50

GREENSBURG, Pa. (KDKA) — The expected high winds Saturday could lead to a lot of damage and power outages throughout the region.  

A spokesperson for West Penn Power said it is already preparing for the storm and wants customers to be ready, too. 

"Getting a lot of rain, we're getting it right now, so the ground is already soft. It's sort of set up for trees to have a hard time standing when that wind gets here and that wind could arrive sometime around noon tomorrow," said Todd Meyers, senior communications representative for West Penn Power. "Anything that might be just hanging around from the last storm that didn't completely come down but is loose could get shook loose this time."  

Meyers said West Penn has at least 200 contractors standing by to help address any potential damage.  

"In addition to the line workers that you will see out there, we have an army of tree trimmers out there. We have people behind the scenes, extra staffers taking your phone calls for outages and dispatching crews out to get boots on the ground assessing damage," Meyers said.  

Beyond downed trees and branches, Meyers said live wires will be part of this time and reminds everyone to never go near any. 

"They don't need to be sizzling, they don't need to be burning or popping or making any noise. They can look inert and still be deadly," Meyers said.  

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission also reminds residents to keep cell phones and other electronics charged ahead of the storm and have a flashlight ready. 

"Being prepared also involves things like knowing your utility hotline. That's the hotline that's printed on your utility bill. It's also on the website. You may have internet issues in the middle of a storm," Nils Hagen-Frederiksen said.  

Hagen-Frederiksen said customers should always report an outage. 

"Systems are getting better at sensing where problems are but don't just assume that the utility knows. Don't just assume that your neighbors may have called in the information. The information they get about individual service outages really does help them map out the size and scope of the problem and develop the plans to be able to get restoration as quickly as possible," Hagen-Frederiksen said. 

He said residents should also have an emergency supply of food, water and medicine on hand.  

"Use the next 12 hours or so to make sure you have everything nailed down if you need to and if you need bottled water or food you can heat without electricity and your fresh flashlight batteries. That's what you need to do now," Meyers said. 

Meyers reminds customers that if the wind is over 40 miles per hour, crews cannot safely use their bucket trucks, which could delay restoration.  

"Crews will work 16 hours on, eight hours off, but we shift people so they're working around the clock," Meyers said.  

On Thursday, Duquesne Light also said customers should prepare for high winds this weekend, which could result in damage and power outages. 

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