It’s been less than 48 hours since the last blast of winter. Now, with an ice storm on its way, electric companies around Central PA are preparing for the potential of power outages.
Shawn Dehoff is prepping for extreme weather he hasn’t seen yet this season.
He says, “If there’s downed lines we need to keep the public safe and get out and respond as fast as we can.”
Adams Electric serves nearly 32,000 customers around the region, with 10,000 in York County.
Crews say they’re stocking their trucks for an expected high volume of power outages.
Adams Electric York County superintendent, Mike Feathers, says, “With the five inches of snow we got yesterday and two inches tonight with added ice, the weight on the trees, probably bring the number of lines down.”
Mike Feathers is the Adams Electric superintendent for York County. He says if an outage takes place from the unit base that hold the meter into the home, it’s the homeowner’s responsibility.
Your electric company will repair any outage from the meter towards the power line.
Feathers, “The first thing to do is check the breakers and make sure it’s not that single house and check with your neighbors. If they have lights, then it’s that one house. If nobody has lights, then call your power company.”
And keep patient, as crews combat the ice.
Electric company crews are on-call throughout the night and into the morning, in case of an emergency.
At PennDOT, crews say if a downed tree causes a power outage, they are required to wait for electric company crews to respond, before they can remove the tree. Also, after midnight, you can expect a reduced speed limit. And crews may be pulled off the roads if conditions are too dangerous.