Atlantic City Electric Media Release

Mullica Township Police Department

 

BELOW IS A MEDIA RELEASE ISSUED BY ATLANTIC CITY ELECTRIC EARLIER TODAY. Several areas in the Sweetwater, Nesco and the Elwood section of Mullica Township still remain without power at this point. See below for further.

Atlantic City Electric Continues Restoration;
Massive Damage from Storm Caused More Power Outages
Than Derecho or Hurricane Sandy
Crews Working Around the Clock to Restore Power to Remaining Approximately 120,000 Customers
MAYS LANDING, N.J. — Atlantic City Electric continues to make progress restoring power to customers who lost service in the wake of the severe storm that hit the region Tuesday night and caused more outages than either the June 2012 derecho or Hurricane Sandy. Of the approximately 280,000 customers who had lost power at the peak of the storm, Atlantic City Electric has restored service to more than half of those customers, with approximately 120,000 customers remaining without power as of Thursday morning.
For the sake of comparison, during the height of the derecho, 206,000 Atlantic City Electric customers lost power. Hurricane Sandy caused more than 220,000 power outages.
With crews — including mutual assistance crews from Ohio and New England — working around the clock, Atlantic City Electric expects to restore power to a vast majority of customers by midday Saturday and restore power to all customers who lost power as a result of the storm by end of day Sunday.

 The National Weather Service reported that the storm created straight-line winds in excess of 70 mph throughout many parts of the Atlantic City Electric service territory. In Gloucester County, a macroburst of approximately 85 mph lasted between five and 20 minutes. The Weather Service said strong macrobursts can cause tornado-force damage.
“We’ve been working strategically to get the biggest number of customers back in service as quickly as possible,” said Susan Coan, Atlantic City Electric region vice president. “While we’ve been able to restore power to more than half of our affected customers in the first 48 hours, restoring electricity to the remaining customers is our top priority. We will continue to work until the last customer is restored.”

 During major events, Atlantic City Electric follows industry best practices to restore power and get the largest number of customers on as quickly and safely as possible. First, repairs are made on high-voltage transmission lines, which can serve tens of thousands of customers. This work requires large numbers of crews and can take a long time. That work is necessary first before substations, which can serve 15,000 to 20,000 customers, can be restored. Once substations are up, crews then turn to feeders, or primary power lines, which can serve more than 1,200 customers. Restoring power to primary lines returns service to most customers on that line except those with localized damage. Lastly, individual trouble spots are then repaired.
Customers are urged to keep calling Atlantic City Electric at 1-800-833-7476 to make sure their outages continue to be reported, even if they have reported them previously. Customers’ reports are vital to Atlantic City Electric’s restoration efforts because — combined with other customer calls and Atlantic City Electric’s technology — it helps the company precisely identify the remaining locations without power and speeds restoration.

 The American Red Cross is supporting two reception centers in Gloucester County. The locations are:
• Gloucester County Complex, 1200 N. Delsea Drive, Clayton, N.J.
• Mt. Royal Firehouse, 5 Mantua Blvd., Mt Royal, N.J.
• Residents can visit for a cooling center, to get ice and water and to charge cell phones. EMS also will be there in case medical assistance may be needed.
Customers can report and track outages online at www.atlanticcityelectric.com; through the mobile app, available for download at atlanticcityelectric/mobileapp; or by calling 1-800-833-7476.

As restoration work progresses, customers may receive more targeted estimated times of restoration (ETR). For customers who utilize generators near the presence of a downed wire, it is important to remember that generators can energize downed wires. Contact with a downed wire can be fatal if the wire is energized. If there is a compelling need to use a portable generator, we urge customers to follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Customers should not overload the generator and should turn it off at bedtime and when no one is at home. In addition, a portable generator should never be brought indoors.
For additional information and updates, visit www.atlanticcityelectric.com. Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/atlanticcityelectric and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/acelecconnect. Our mobile app is available for download at www.atlanticcityelectric.com/mobileapp.

http://www.atlanticcityelectric.com/library/templates/Interior.aspx?Pageid=1105&id=6442457605