Manheim Township emergency management teams, public works crews and police are working together now to prepare for the possible impact of Hurricane Sandy and other severe weather predicted for early next week.
Various weather forecasting services are predicting a very powerful, damaging, multi-day storm with high winds, heavy precipitation and flooding across a wide portion of the east coast. The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) and the Governor's Office has already announced emergency declarations for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. These declarations provide special authority to Counties and municipalities to take actions to alleviate the impacts and effects of the disaster, to aid in the restoration of essential public services, and to take other emergency response actions deemed necessary to respond to this emergency.
Depending on the severity of Hurricane Sandy’s impact on the electrical, telephone and utility systems, Township residents are encouraged to prepare for the possibility of power outages lasting up to several days by taking action before the storm occurs:
- Keep a flashlight and extra batteries handy. Use care when burning candles; open flames are a fire hazard.
- Gather extra blankets or a sleeping bag for each person. Do not use gas stoves, kerosene heaters or other open-flame heat sources to prevent deadly carbon monoxide gas from building up in your home.
- If you have a water well and pump, keep an emergency supply of bottled water and/or fill your bathtub with fresh water.
- Stock an emergency supply of convenience foods that do not require cooking.
- Keep a battery-powered radio with extra batteries on hand. Tune in to a local radio station for current storm information.
- Have a hard-wired telephone or a charged cell phone handy in the event you need to report your electricity is out. Mobile phones can be charged in your vehicle using a car charger when power is out. If you have a smart phone, this will ensure you have access to online information sources.
Should there be a power outage, PPL Customers are provided with regular "Alerts" and regular information from the Outage Center site and may receive updates on outages affecting them. Participants can choose to get the alerts by phone, text or email, or all three.
Customers experiencing outages are asked to report them at 1-800-342-5775 (1-800-DIAL PPL) or through the online Outage Center at the link below. When prompted, customers reporting by phone should press 1 for "Power Problem." The Outage Center also is available on smart phones or other mobile devices.
www.pplelectric.com/outagecenter
Visit the Township's Emergency Preparedness web page for more information about how to prepared for an emergency and to protect your family and home danger.