As Superstorm Sandy speeds the greater Lehigh Valley region, PPL Electric Utilities, Allentown, Pa., is providing free safety tips for using a backup electricity generator properly and dealing safely with a power outage.

The region’s largest utility company says that only a small percentage of home generators are hooked up correctly. The company says that improper installation or use could be dangerous to you and threaten the lives of residents, neighbors, and electric utility workers.

PPL is warning all residents of eastern Pennsylvania and western New Jersey to be prepared for protracted power outages caused by what has become known as Frankenstorm because of its occurrence around the observance of Halloween.



Tips for using portable electric generators from PPL include reading and following all manufacturer operating instructions, maintaining adequate ventilation, placing it in a dry outdoor location, and never plugging it into a wall outlet or connecting it directly to a house’s wiring.

Power outage safety tips for people who do not have backup generators include not using gas ovens or ranges to heat a house; turning off electric ovens, ranges or space heaters that may have been in use when the outage occurred; and unpluging sensitive home electronics that can suffer damage when power is restored.