Extra personnel and equipment at the ready

PSE&G Prepares for Winter Storm

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Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G), New Jersey’s largest electric and gas utility, is preparing for the approaching storm system that is predicted to bring heavy snow and strong winds to the Northeast on Tuesday.

“The amount of snow and high winds associated with this storm may bring down trees and power lines,” said John Latka, senior vice president of electric and gas operations for PSE&G. “We take every storm with the potential for outages seriously, and have additional personnel scheduled and on standby, with auxiliary equipment at the ready.”

The utility also has extra personnel on hand to respond as quickly as possible and handle emergency requests. Both PSE&G’s appliance service business and call centers are prepared to respond to customer “no heat” calls as temperatures remain low during the next several days.

In anticipation of the storm, PSE&G is taking the following steps to ensure that the utility is ready to respond to resulting power outages:

• Arranging for contractors, including tree crews, to assist the utility’s own skilled workforce.

• Ensuring that additional supplies, including poles, transformers and other pole-top equipment, are on hand.

• Refueling all vehicles.

• Testing generators at utility locations.

• Coordinating with county and municipal emergency management personnel to inform them of outages and expedite restoration efforts.

PSE&G urges its customers to be cautious during and after the storm:

• 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 prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, do not run any gasoline powered engine, including generators and snowblowers, in a garage or any other enclosed space.

Customers should report downed wires or power outages by calling PSE&G’s Customer Service line at 1-800-436-PSEG. Also, customers can report outages at www.pseg.com 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 area.