Prepping For NJ Storm? Remember Medical Equipment, OEM Says

As New Jersey prepares for a potentially stormy weekend – rife with possible outages – PSE&G customers who need electricity to power medical equipment should double check to make sure they’re on the company’s “life-sustaining equipment” list.

It may just save a life, according to the Bayonne Office of Emergency Management.

Weather forecasters are calling for storms with heavy rain, strong winds and flooding across the state on Friday and over the weekend. With the forecast in mind, the Bayonne OEM posted the following advisory on Thursday:

“If you have a family member or constituent or someone you know relies on electricity to run life-sustaining equipment, like a respirator or dialysis machine, please advise them to register their equipment with PSE&G.”

Customers can learn more about the PSE&G program here or download a registration form here.

The Bayonne OEM’s reminder comes after a North Jersey woman with medical conditions died on July 5 – one of the hottest days this summer. The 68-year-old woman, who relied on an oxygen tank to live, passed away after PSE&G shut off the power to her home in the midst of a heat wave.

Daniels' family members have alleged that a PSE&G representative was told about her condition about a month before she died. But PSE&G said that its workers tried to contact the deceased woman several times about the overdue bill and potential shut off, and that they were never told about her medical needs.

PSE&G would have made accommodations had the company known about the woman's condition, a spokesperson told Patch following the woman’s tragic death.

“PSE&G carefully follows state procedures for customers with special circumstances that are taken into consideration when service termination decisions are being made," the spokesperson said. "After the disconnection occurred and we were notified that the customer had medical issues, we began the process to reconnect the service."

The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities launched an investigation into the woman’s death earlier this month.

• See related article: NJ Utility Board Probes Woman's Death After PSEG Shuts Off Power

PSE&G PREPARING FOR POSSIBLE STORMS

On Friday, July 27, PSE&G released the following general advisory in advance of possible weekend storms and power outages:

“PSE&G is preparing for the approaching system that could bring thunderstorms, heavy rain and gusty winds… High winds can cause flying debris and bring down trees and power lines. Customers should be cautious and stay alert to their surroundings during and after storms."

“We are carefully monitoring the weather that is expected to affect our service territory later this afternoon and we’re prepared to respond to any outages,” said John Latka, senior vice president of electric and gas operations for PSE&G. “We'll have additional personnel scheduled and contractors on standby, with extra tree personnel and equipment at the ready. Our employees are rechecking that all objects are secured at our stations and division headquarters. We encourage our customers to do the same at their homes and businesses.”

According to PSE&G, downed wires should always be considered “live.” Do not approach or drive over a downed line and do not touch anything it might be in contact with. If a wire falls on or near your car, stay inside the car, call 911, and do not get out until PSE&G deenergizes the line. If you must get out of the vehicle because it is on fire, jump as far as possible away from the vehicle, with both feet landing on the ground at the same time, and hop or shuffle away.

To prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, do not run any gasoline-powered generators in a garage or any other enclosed space, PSE&G stated.

• See related article: Mother, 29, and Daughter, 7, Found Dead, May Have Succumbed To CO Poisoning, Authorities Say

To report downed wires or power outages, call PSE&G’s Customer Service line at 1-800-436-PSEG. Customers can also report outages by logging into their PSE&G account online or by texting “OUT” to 4PSEG (47734). The utility’s website includes an “Outage Map” that is updated every 15 minutes and displays the location and status of power outages in PSE&G’s service area.

Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site here. Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Photo: Shutterstock / Medicimage