FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) utility personnel are prepared to respond to possible service interruptions caused by a significant winter storm that is expected to bring ice, snow, rain, heavy wind and bitterly cold temperatures to its service territory beginning this afternoon through Saturday.
Company meteorologists have been tracking the winter storm for several days and expect severe winds and extreme cold throughout its entire service territory. In addition, ice accumulations are forecast in eastern West Virginia, northwestern Maryland and southwestern Pennsylvania, and heavy, blowing snow is expected throughout Ohio and parts of Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Heavy rain could occur in eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Severe weather – particularly the wind, with widespread gusts of 40 to 50 miles per hour and reaching higher than 60 miles per hour along the lakeshores and ridgetops – will continue for more than 12 hours, impacting power restoration efforts. Line crews cannot safely go up in bucket trucks to make repairs when wind speeds are excessive. In addition, plummeting temperatures will flash freeze standing water, creating icy road conditions that can make it difficult to access damage to make repairs. Crews will need to take frequent breaks to warm up in their trucks with wind chills dipping as low as minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit.
FirstEnergy’s electric utilities are implementing storm response plans, which include staffing additional operators, damage assessors and analysts at distribution control centers, and arranging to bring in additional line, substation and forestry personnel. The company has also notified contractors who work throughout FirstEnergy’s footprint on service reliability projects to be on deck to assist with restoration efforts. The company will coordinate with contractors and electric industry mutual assistance organizations to obtain additional resources, based on the magnitude of the storm.
FirstEnergy representatives have also been in contact with emergency management officials, state officials, regulators and local officials about the company’s storm preparation efforts.
