(NEWARK, N.J. – October 25, 2018) Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G), New Jersey’s largest utility, is making preparations for the forecasted nor’easter that could affect New Jersey late Friday night into Saturday morning. Experts predict the remnants of Hurricane Willa will merge with a cold front and hug the Eastern Seaboard throughout the weekend. The utility is closely monitoring the weather and preparing for cold, gusty winds; heavy, driving rains, and flooding – with some models showing snowflakes in the northern most parts of the state.

“The first nor’easter of the season is always tricky because trees are still full of leaves, creating an increased chance of outages from trees and branches downing power lines,” said Jack Bridges, PSE&G vice president, electric operations. “We are scheduling our construction, damage assessment and tree crews around the clock to be ready to restore service.”

PSE&G employees are ensuring that all objects are secured at stations, division headquarters and work sites. Customers are encouraged to do the same at their homes and businesses. High winds can cause flying debris, and bring down trees and power lines. Customers should be cautious and stay alert to their surroundings during and after storms.

What you can do now:

• Be ready to communicate about your situation.
• Make sure you have a family emergency plan.
• Prepare an emergency kit.

Stay connected:

• Compile a list of emergency phone numbers; include PSE&G Customer Service 1-800-436-PSEG.
• Go to www.pseg.com/myaccount to sign up to report outages online and to check restoration progress.
• Go to www.pseg.com/outagecenter to check the “Outage Map,” which is updated every 15 minutes with PSE&G outage information, and to register for MyAlerts to receive text notifications.
• You can report an outage by texting “OUT” to 4PSEG (47734).
• “Like” PSEG on Facebook and follow PSEG on Twitter @PSEGdelivers.

Formulate a plan:

• Discuss storm safety with your family, determining:
• How will my family/household get emergency alerts and warnings?
• How will my family/household get to safe locations?
• How will my family/household get in touch if cell phone, internet or landline doesn’t work?
• How will I let loved ones know I am safe? How will my family/household get to a meeting place after the emergency?
• Be sure everyone in the family is prepared. Go to sesamestreet.org/toolkits/ready to download the PSEG and Sesame Street “Let’s Get Ready!” emergency preparedness app for young children.

Make an emergency kit that includes, at minimum:

• One gallon of water per person, per day for three days
• A three day supply of non-perishable foods and a manual can opener
• A battery-powered radio and fresh batteries
• Flashlights and extra batteries; and,
• A first aid kit.

Consider purchasing a portable gas generator. More information on how to prepare an emergency plan and kit is available at ready.gov.

Stay away from downed wires:

• Downed wires should always be considered “live.” Stay at least 300 feet away from downed wires. Do not approach or drive over a downed line and do not touch anything it might be in contact with. If a wire falls on or near your car, stay inside the car, call 911, and do not get out until PSE&G deenergizes the line. If you MUST get out of the vehicle because it is on fire, jump as far as possible away from the vehicle, with both feet landing on the ground at the same time, and hop or shuffle away.

Other important safety notes:

• To prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, do not run any gasoline-powered generators in a garage or any other enclosed space.
• If you are on life-sustaining medical equipment, ensure that you have alerted PSE&G in advance and notify your local police and fire departments.