ComEd Prepares for Severe Weather Expected to Hit Northern Illinois

CHICAGO, June 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- ComEd is increasing its staffing and opening its Emergency Operations Center as of 5a.m. today, in advance of severe weather expected to enter its service territory. The storm brings the potential for heavy rain, lightning and high winds with gusts of up to 60 miles per hour. ComEd is preparing field crews and employees to respond to potential power outages resulting from the forecasted weather.

"We are increasing our staffing levels and have contractor crews on stand-by to respond to any system trouble from these storms," said Terence R. Donnelly, executive vice president and chief operating officer for ComEd. "We will continue to monitor the weather and proactively respond as conditions change."

ComEd urges customers to contact the utility immediately if they are experiencing a power outage. Customers can text OUT to 26633 (COMED) to report their outage and receive restoration information. ComEd also introduced a mobile app for iPhone and Android® smart phones that gives customers the ability to report power outages and manage their accounts. In addition, customers can report outages through the website at ComEd.com or on ComEd's Facebook page at Facebook.com/ComEd or by calling 1-800 EDISON1 (1-800-334-7661). Spanish-speaking customers should call 1-800-95-LUCES (1-800-955-8237). 

For outage updates, customers can access ComEd's mobile-enabled, interactive outage map now available at ComEd.com/map. The color-coded map allows customers to easily find information on the location and size of outages, get estimated power restoration times and crew locations. Information is updated every 30 minutes. Customers also can follow the company on Twitter @ComEd or on Facebook at Facebook.com/ComEd to stay up-to-date on the latest ComEd storm restoration information.

Public safety is paramount during storms, and ComEd encourages the public to remember to take the following precautions:

• If you encounter a downed power line, immediately call ComEd at 1-800-EDISON1 (1-800-334-7661) or access our website at ComEd.com and report the location. Spanish-speaking customers should call 1-800-95-LUCES (1-800-955-8237).
• Never approach a downed power line. Always assume a power line is energized and extremely dangerous.
• Check on elderly and other sensitive family members and neighbors to ensure their safety and make alternate arrangements in the event of an outage, as it may be some time before their power is restored.

ComEd remains focused on enhancing its storm response efforts.  Since 2011 when the worst storms in ComEd history struck Northern Illinois, the company formed a storm improvement taskforce and implemented approximately 60 enhancements that helped provide a significant improvement in storm restoration times in major storms last summer. For example, ComEd added: more first responders; a state-of-the-art mobile command center to deploy to hardest-hit areas; and customer service enhancements such as the interactive online outage map, mobile application for smart phones, mobile-enabled website, and two-way text messaging, which were identified as a "best practice" for utilities by J.D. Power.

Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC), the nation's leading competitive energy provider, with approximately 6.6 million customers. ComEd provides service to approximately 3.8 million customers across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state's population.

SOURCE ComEd

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