Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G), New Jersey’s largest electric and gas utility, is preparing for the approaching storm system that could bring strong winds across its service area.
“We take every storm with the potential for outages seriously and have additional personnel scheduled and on standby, with auxiliary equipment at the ready,” said John Latka, senior vice president of electric and gas operations for PSE&G. “Strong winds can make it difficult for our trucks to get around, and our crews can’t go up in buckets to make repairs until the winds subside. Should there be outages, please know that we will restore customers as quickly and safely as possible.”
PSE&G urges its customers to prepare and be cautious before, during and after the storm:
- Move or secure lawn furniture, outdoor decorations or ornaments, trash cans, hanging plants and anything else that can be picked up by wind and become a projectile.
- During the storm, draw blinds and shades over windows. If windows break due to objects blown by the wind, the shades will prevent glass from shattering into your home.
- To prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, do not run a generator inside a home or garage, or any other enclosed space.
- Never use charcoal or gas grills as an indoor heating or cooking source.
- Use flashlights for emergency lighting. Due to the extreme risk of fire, do not use candles during a power outage.
- Turn off electrical equipment you were using when the power went out. Leave one light on so you know when the power comes back on.
- Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed. An unopened refrigerator will keep food cold for about 4 hours.
- Downed wires should always be considered “live.” Do not approach or drive over a downed line and do not touch anything that it might be in contact with.
To report downed wires or power outages, call PSE&G’s Customer Service line at 1-800-436-PSEG.
Also, customers can report outages by logging into their PSE&G account online or by texting “OUT” to 4PSEG (47734).
The utility’s mobile-friendly website includes an “Outage Map” that is updated every 15 minutes and displays the location and status of power outages in PSE&G’s service area.
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Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, a place where he has served on and off since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on Facebook Live, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to West Hudson to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.