ComEd is boosting its emergency response staffing before the strong storms expected Wednesday and urging customers to contact them via social media if the power goes out.
The storms, which have the potential to bring heavy rain, lightning and high winds to the Chicago area, are the first test of Commonwealth Edison’s emergency response system since a court ruling last week found it liable for damages relating to storm-driven mass power outages in 2011.
“We are increasing our staffing levels and have contractor crews on standby to respond to any system trouble from these storms,” ComEd CEO Terence R. Donnelly said in a statement. “We will continue to monitor the weather and proactively respond as conditions change.”
As part of its preparations, the utility also postponed its Statewide Emergency Exercise scheduled for Thursday.
If Chicagoans lose power, ComEd is encouraging them to text the word “OUT” to 26633 (COMED.) The utility will respond with information about when power is expected to be restored.
Those who lose power can also use the ComEd application for iPhone and Android, or report outages on ComEd’s Facebook page or on Twitter (@ComEd,) where information will be updated every half-hour. The utility also can be reached by phone at 800-EDISON-1 (800-334-7661)
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