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Although Hurricane Sandy’s expected arrival on the eastern seaboard is still days away, PPL Electric Utilities asks customers to make preparations now to stay safe during the storm.

“According to the latest weather forecasts, the storm could cause widespread damage resulting in power outages lasting several days,” said Gregory Dudkin, president of the utility.

“It’s important to make a plan now to deal with situations that might affect you, your family and your friends and neighbors,” he said. “Take this storm seriously, stock up on food and water and think about how to stay warm if the power goes out.”

Here are some steps you can take to be ready before a storm hits:

Prepare a storm kit: Take a few minutes to assemble supplies you would need in the event of an outage lasting more than a few hours. Examples include canned food and a manual can opener; bottled water; a flashlight with fresh batteries; and a first-aid kit. More tips on storm preparation are available at www.readypa.org and www.ready.gov/hurricanes.

Make a plan: Customers who are elderly, have small children or have special personal needs should plan the actions they would take in the event of an extended outage.

Other ways to stay connected:

It’s never too late to sign up for PPL Alerts, a free service that allows customers to receive important information about power outages by phone, text or email. Information about how to sign up for PPL Alerts is at www.pplelectric.com.

Customers can also receive information and storm restoration information by following PPL Electric Utilities on Facebook and Twitter.

PPL Electric Utilities preparation update

“We’ve already made arrangements with outside line crews and have hundreds of contractors on standby to provide additional support should it be necessary,” Dudkin said. “Crews from our sister utilities in Kentucky will be arriving Sunday, and we’re also bringing in additional crews from as far away as Utah.”

In total, a workforce of about 1,500 outside line crews, assessors and tree trimmers is ready to help respond to storm damage and power outages, tripling PPL Electric Utilities’ physical workforce. PPL Electric Utilities has also secured large generators to serve any critical customers — hospitals, 911 centers, sewage treatment plants — affected by the storm. 

Since the busy storm season of 2011, PPL Electric Utilities has made numerous storm response improvements, including increasing phone lines for customer service and expanding emergency call capacity to better handle high volumes of customer calls during major storms. 

Customers experiencing outages are asked to report them at 1-800-342-5775 (1-800-DIAL-PPL) or through the online Outage Center at www.pplelectric.com/outagecenter. 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.

Other steps to take in an outage also are available at the utility’s online Outage Center.

PPL Electric Utilities, a subsidiary of PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL), provides electric delivery services to about 1.4 million customers in Pennsylvania and consistently ranks among the best companies for customer service in the United States. More information is available at www.pplelectric.com.