ComEd preparing for power outages as Chicagoland gears up for severe weather

Gabriel Castillo
·2 min read
2

CHICAGO — ComEd is also preparing for potential power outages as Chicagoland gears up for another round of severe weather on Tuesday afternoon.

According to officials from ComEd, the utility provider is opening its Emergency Operations Center and getting equipment and additional crews in place to make sure it is prepared and ready to respond to any outages.

Track the storms live with the WGN Interactive-radar

While the day started with mild conditions, a line of showers and storms, which are expected to move in toward the evening hours, have the potential to produce destructive winds, hail and tornadoes.

The storms are currently expected to move in around 7 p.m. and will likely stick around through 1 a.m. Wednesday morning.

“We recognize that outages at any time are inconvenient,” Executive Vice President and COO of ComEd,  David Perez, said.  “Our goal is to get our customers and communities back quickly and safely to minimize the interruption to their lives and livelihoods. Crews will work around the clock to make repairs so we get the power flowing for any and every customer who experiences an outage.”

Severe weather likely Tuesday night

In the event of an outage, ComEd crews who work to restore power will prioritize critical facilities, like police and fire stations, nursing homes and hospitals, before moving on to areas with the greatest number of customers.

What can residents do during a power outage? 

Residents who experience power outages are advised to contact ComEd immediately about the issue.

Customers have several options to report outages and receive information about restoration times. Impacted customers can text OUT to 26633 (COMED), call 1-800 EDISON1 (1-800-334-7661), or visit the ComEd website to report outages.

Beverly hit hard by afternoon storm

Spanish-speaking customers can call 1-800-95-LUCES (1-800-955-8237) to report outages.

According to ComEd, thanks to smart grid upgrades that began back in 2011, the utility provider’s overall reliability has improved by more than 70% and over 21 million outages have been avoided.

Visit the ComEd website to view the outage map for details on which areas are experiencing outages and how many customers are impacted.

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