SUNBURY - Although the brunt of Hurricane Sandy has passed through the area, there were still more than 600 homes and businesses that remain without power in Northumberland County as of Tuesday evening.
PPL Electric Utilities reported as of 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, 635 customers were still without power, the biggest concentration in the northern end of the county including Turbot Township, Milton and East Chillisquaque Township.
Locally, the biggest outage occurred when 2,023 customers in Coal Township lost power Monday morning. That was restored within an hour, but remains the largest concentration of outages in Northumberland County.
With power still out in some areas, Northumberland County Director of Emergency Management Stephen Jeffrey offers the following tips:
- Prevent carbon monoxide poisoning - If your power is out, you may try to power your home by using generators or camp stoves, which can release carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas that is released from many types of equipment. It builds up in closed spaces and is poisonous to breathe. Leave your home immediately and call 911 if your carbon monoxide detector sounds. Get medical help right away if you feel light-headed, dizzy or nauseous.
- Keep as warm as possible when your power is out - Hypothermia is a serious condition which occurs when body temperature is too low. This usually happens in very cold weather, but can also happen with exposure to temperatures of 40 degrees or higher. Those at risk include older folks and babies sleeping in cold rooms. If the power is out for a long time, stay with a relative or friend or go to an emergency shelter.
- Prevent electrical injuries - Hurricane Sandy caused live power lines to fall. Never touch a fallen power line or drive through standing water if power lines are in or near the water. Electrical wires on the ground may be "live" and could hurt or kill you. Avoid contact with overhead power lines while cleaning up after the storm and call the power company to report fallen lines.
- Make sure food and water are safe - For food, when in doubt, throw it out. If the electricity in your home has been off for long periods of time, throw away foods that can spoil, like meat, poultry, fish, eggs, leftovers and others. For water, if your tap water is unsafe to drink, local authorities may issue "boil water advisories." Follow boil water advisories exactly to make sure tap water is safe before you drink or use it. If you cannot boil the water, use bottled water instead.