MORRISTOWN, N.J., Oct. 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- With a potentially powerful early snowstorm predicted to hit New Jersey this weekend, Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L) is mobilizing employees and resources to help aid the restoration process should the storm impact customers' electric service.
With leaves still on trees, the wet snow and high winds have the potential to cause significant damage to the electrical system. Company meteorologists continue to monitor the situation and are predicting that up to 12 inches of snow could be on the ground in some areas of northern New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania by the end of the weekend.
"Based on current forecasts and predictions, we are proactively positioning our crews to get them out ahead of the storm to minimize the impact the severe weather could have on our customers," said JCP&L President Donald M. Lynch. "For example, crews from our Ohio utilities and additional hazard teams and support staff are on their way to assist us."
FirstEnergy (NYSE: FE) is mobilizing internal crews and support personnel to assist with possible power outages in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia. In addition, the company is securing additional outside utility crews, electrical contractors and tree contractors to assist with the restoration process.
"We are applying many of the lessons learned from Hurricane Irene and also are focused on keeping our customers and state and local officials better informed regarding our service restoration progress. In fact, today we conducted a conference call to update local officials on our storm preparation activities and will continue to share information with them and with our customers throughout the storm," Lynch said.
For updated information on the company's preparation efforts for the early snowstorm, current outages, FirstEnergy's storm restoration process and tips for staying safe, go to www.firstenergycorp.com. JCP&L will also provide updates via Twitter - follow us @JCP_L.
FirstEnergy customer call centers are fully staffed. To report an outage, JCP&L customers should call 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877), or 1-800-545-7738.
JCP&L serves 1.1 million customers in 13 New Jersey counties.
FirstEnergy is a diversified energy company dedicated to safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its 10 electric distribution companies comprise the nation's largest investor-owned electric system. Its diverse generating fleet features non-emitting nuclear, scrubbed baseload coal, natural gas, and pumped-storage hydro and other renewables, and has a total generating capacity of nearly 23,000 megawatts.
SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.
