FirstEnergy Crews Preparing for Strong Winds on Friday; Offers Customers Tips to Prepare and Stay Safe

AKRON, Ohio, March 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- With a severe windstorm expected to move through FirstEnergy's service area beginning early Friday and into early Saturday, the company is ready to respond to any outages and reminds customers to take steps now to stay safe in case of potential outages.

FirstEnergy is closely monitoring expected winds that could bring down trees and blow branches and debris into power lines. Based on current forecasts, the strongest winds are expected Friday afternoon into early evening, with the most severe conditions impacting Ohio Edison, The Illuminating Company and Toledo Edison in Ohio and West Penn Power and Penn Power in Pennsylvania, where winds could exceed 50-75 mph in some areas. Peak gusts ranging from 35-60 mph are also expected to impact Met?Ed and Penelec in Pennsylvania, Mon Power and Potomac Edison in West Virginia and Maryland and Jersey Central Power & Light in New Jersey.

Strong winds can make it harder for crews to restore power and may slow restoration efforts. For safety reasons, crews cannot use bucket trucks when wind speeds are above 40 mph. Fallen trees and blocked roads can also delay crews as they travel to outage locations.

To help manage the weather safely and efficiently, we've activated our around-the-clock incident command structure so teams across our service area can coordinate restoration work, equipment needs and field support as conditions change.

We're also in close contact with other utilities and outside contractors and bringing in additional support ahead of the winds in many areas as well as mobilizing internal FirstEnergy and contractor crews, forestry personnel, damage assessors, hazard responders and other support workers. This ensures we have the people and resources needed to respond as soon as outages occur.

How We Restore Power After a Storm

FirstEnergy follows a formal restoration process to restore service as quickly and safely as possible:

1. Clear hazards - like downed power lines, trees and blocked roads
2. Repair high-voltage lines that provide electricity to local lines
3. Restore power to critical public service facilities
4. Address outages affecting the most customers
5. Fix localized issues and restore power to individual customers

Customer Safety and Preparedness Tips

Customers can take simple actions to prepare and stay safe if an outage does happen:

• Secure loose outdoor items including garbage cans, furniture and trampolines
• Charge phones and essential devices
• Keep flashlights, batteries and a radio ready
• Store water if you rely on a well pump
• Have no?cook foods on hand
• Stay 30 feet away from downed power lines - call 911 immediately
• Steer clear of trees and utility poles in high winds

How to Report an Outage

If you lose power during the storm, report your outage by:

• Calling 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877)
• Texting OUT to LIGHTS (544487)
• Clicking the "Outages" link on firstenergycorp.com

Get Outage Updates

• Text REG to 544487 to sign up for outage text alerts. Once signed up, text STAT to 544487 to get the latest update for your home.
• Log into your online account.
• View our outage map at firstenergycorp.com/outages.

FirstEnergy (NYSE: FE) is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving six million customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. The company's transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Follow FirstEnergy online at www.firstenergycorp.com. Follow FirstEnergy on X: @FirstEnergyCorp.

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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.