FirstEnery Corp., which operates Jersey Central Power & Light, launched new maps on its website Thursday that will allow New Jersey residents to search for power outages by state, county and zip code.
The Ohio-based utility company said in a release that the new color-coded maps include links to allow customers to report service interruptions and provide tables showing county-by-county outage totals.
FirstEnergy added that the maps are accessible via smart phones and other mobile devices.
The maps also boast prominent alerts with links to outage-related news, safety reminders and other information, FirstEnergy said.
Later in the year, the maps are expected to include more detailed estimated restoration time during large-scale weather events, and the ability for customers to receive outage communication updates via text message and email, FirstEnergy said.
The utility company said customers should report outages in their area by calling 888-554-4877 or to use the "Report an Outage" link on its website.
Read the full release below.
Akron, Ohio – With heavy snow, rain and high winds expected to cause power interruptions in some areas served by FirstEnergy Corp.’s (NYSE: FE) utilities, customers now can view timely, accurate, and easy-to-use outage information through the company’s new online outage maps.
FirstEnergy’s “24/7 Power Center” maps are accessible on desktops, smart phones and mobile devices. The user-friendly system features industry-leading mapping technology to quickly search for power outages by state, county, community or zip code. The maps also include links that allow customers to report service interruptions.
The new interactive maps use color coding to provide a quick snapshot of the number of customers affected by power outages across FirstEnergy’s Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, New York and West Virginia service areas, and allow customers to easily zoom in to access local outage information from their utility. In addition to the maps, outage reports are also available in an easy-to-read table format that show county- by-county totals.
During major storm events or other emergencies, the maps will feature a prominent alert with links to outage-related news, safety reminders, and other important information.
To make the 24/7 Power Center maps even more customer-friendly, additional enhancements are planned later this year, including more detailed estimated restoration times during large-scale weather events, and the ability for customers to receive outage communications updates via text messaging and email.
The maps can be accessed from the FirstEnergy website – firstenergycorp.com/outages – and are also available from each of the 10 operating company websites.
When the power goes out, it’s important that customers report the outage to their operating company by calling 888-LIGHTSS (888-544-4877). Or, customers can use the “Report an Outage” link on FirstEnergy’s outage web page.
During significant service interruptions, outage information is also available via the company’s Twitter accounts.
A list of all accounts is available here: www.firstenergycorp.com/newsroom/social_media.
FirstEnergy is a diversified energy company dedicated to safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its 10 electric distribution companies – Ohio Edison, The Illuminating Company, Toledo Edison, Pennsylvania Power, Pennsylvania Electric Company, Metropolitan Edison Company, West Penn Power, Jersey Central Power & Light, Potomac Edison and Mon Power – comprise one of the nation's largest investor- owned electric systems. Its diverse generating fleet features non-emitting nuclear, scrubbed baseload coal, natural gas, and pumped-storage hydro and other renewables, and has a total generating capacity of nearly 23,000 megawatts.
And really, trees are a small problem plaguing the power grid, it's the ancient equipment that the power companies will not properly maintain or replace that is the big issue. So, back to my point ... Stop wasting time and effort and money on stupid apps to tell me that the power is out, start using money to maintain the power grid and the lines.