In the Philadelphia area, thousands of PECO customers are enduring oppressive heat as power remains out due to damage from recent storms that downed power lines.
The combination of high temperatures and humidity is particularly hazardous for those without air conditioning or fans to cool down.
Jennifer Trivedi, a professor at the University of Delaware’s Disaster Research Center, expressed concern regarding the health risks associated with prolonged exposure to extreme heat.
‘It increases the risk of people getting sick from heat,’ she stated, noting the limited means for affected households to mitigate the heat.
Forecasts predict temperatures soaring above 100 degrees on Monday and Tuesday, with nighttime lows remaining above 80 degrees, leaving little respite for residents lacking cooling systems.
As of midday Monday, over 11,000 PECO customers were reported to be without power according to the utility’s website.
PECO spokesperson Ben Armstrong mentioned that while some outages were proactive measures taken to ensure the safety of crews restoring power, others were caused by trees downed from the storm days earlier.
At its peak following the storm, over 300,000 customers were left without power, with numbers dropping to more than 20,000 on Sunday when temperatures reached the upper 80s in Philadelphia.
Armstrong assured that PECO aims to restore service to all customers by 11 p.m. Monday.
To assist those impacted by the outages, PECO is directing affected individuals to utilize cooling centers available in Philadelphia and Montgomery County.
The utility emphasized its ongoing collaboration with local government agencies to keep the public informed about restoration efforts and available resources during this heat wave.
Outside line and tree crews have been mobilized to expedite addressing the ongoing outages in the region.
As climate change continues to escalate, the frequency and intensity of heat waves are on the rise.
Trivedi highlighted that the overlap of heat waves with other weather-related disasters is becoming more common, potentially straining the resources of households, local governments, utilities, and health systems alike.
Data from the nonprofit research organization Climate Central indicates a notable increase in weather-related outages over the past two decades, with escalating temperatures leading to heightened demand for electricity, particularly for air conditioning units.
This week’s heat wave is expected to push electricity demand to its highest levels in over a decade.
PJM Interconnection, the entity overseeing the electric grid across Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, and beyond, has issued a ‘Maximum Generation Alert’.
The alert urges power generators and transmission operators to postpone maintenance to maximize available power production.
Additionally, a demand response program has been initiated to incentivize designated customers to reduce their electricity consumption during peak demand times.
In response to these challenges, PECO plans to invest over $9 billion in system maintenance and upgrades over the next five years.
This investment aims to enhance the utility’s capacity to meet growing demand, minimize future power outages, and accelerate restoration efforts during emergencies.
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