MAYS LANDING, N.J. - Atlantic City Electric has partnered with Atlantic County Office of Emergency Preparedness, American Red Cross Southern Shore Chapter and AARP New Jersey to remind residents to prepare for this year's hurricane season, which began Sunday and runs through the end of November.

Atlantic City Electric sponsored its annual Hurricane Preparedness Event last week.

 "It's very important that residents have an emergency plan in place before a storm occurs. Now is the time to prepare," said Vince Maione, Atlantic City Electric region president. "We are in contact with our partners year round to ensure the lines of communication are open and that we are all on the same page during a weather emergency."

Maione provided an overview of how Atlantic City Electric prepares for extreme weather events and offered details on the company's restoration process and priorities. He also cautioned that portable home electric generators should be properly installed and operated to ensure safety.

"Generators can energize downed wires, and contact with a downed wire could be fatal if the wire is energized. It's very important for residents to stay away from any downed wires," Maione said.

"Residents need to be prepared," said Vince Jones, director, Atlantic County Office of Emergency Preparedness. "Make preparations with family or friends that live out of the area now in the event we have a storm and an evacuation is necessary. People should always take evacuation requests very seriously and heed the warnings of emergency management officials."

Carol Cohen, executive director, American Red Cross Southern Shore Chapter, said, "Being prepared is being empowered." She encouraged residents to assemble an emergency storm "Go Kit" containing items including important documents, medication, bottled water, non-perishable food, flashlight and fresh batteries, emergency phone numbers, a blanket and cash. "Having a plan can take away some of the stress and anxiety in an emergency situation," she said.

Jeff Abramo, communications director, AARP New Jersey, shared tips for seniors. "Reach out to friends and loved ones to create a support network that are aware of your medical needs. Provide these individuals with your contact information so they can reach you in an emergency," he said. He also suggested that seniors have a week's worth of necessary medications at all times.  

The National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook predicts a 70 percent likelihood of 8 to 13 named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher), of which three to six could become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), including one to two major hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5; winds of 111 mph or higher).

Atlantic City Electric over the past five years has invested approximately $685 million into its electric system to help protect it from storm damage and improve reliability. The company currently plans to make infrastructure investments to further improve service reliability for customers through building new and upgrading existing infrastructure; building new substations; and replacing transformers, poles, wires and other infrastructure improvements.

Atlantic City Electric Emergency Preparedness Tips for residents:

• Assemble an emergency storm kit.
• Develop and practice an emergency plan with everyone in your household.
• Fill your bathtub with water if your water supply depends on electricity.
• If you or someone you know relies on life-support equipment that requires electricity to operate, identify a location with emergency power capabilities and make plans to go there during a prolonged outage.
• Make sure cell phones are charged.
• Protect and unplug electronic equipment.
• Tune in to local news broadcasts for the latest weather and emergency information.
• Follow the advice of your local emergency management officials.
• If you need to use a portable generator, follow the manufacturer's instructions and use only when necessary. Don't overload it and turn it off at night while you sleep and when you are away from home.  

Additional tips are available in our "Storm Preparation Handbook" at atlanticcityelectric.com.  

For more information about Atlantic City Electric, visit www.atlanticcityelectric.com. Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/atlanticcityelectric and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/acelecconnect. Our mobile app is available at www.atlanticcityelectric.com/mobileapp.