Hurricane Irene Could Mean Weekend Rain, Wind

Hurricane Irene is moving over the Bahamas and hurricane and tropical storm watches have been issued for part of the East Coast.

Irene still threatens heavy rain and gusty winds for the Philadelphia area this weekend.

The latest forecast track from the National Hurricane Center projects Irene will pass well offshore of the east coast of central and north Florida Thursday night and early Friday. Irene is expected to make landfall in coastal North Carolina on Saturday afternoon.

Coastal North Carolina is now under a hurricane watch, which means hurricane conditions are possible within 48 hours. That hurricane watch extends from Surf City north to the Virginia border.

Coastal South Carolina and part of coastal North Carolina are under a tropical storm watch, which means tropical storm conditions are possible within 48 hours. That tropical storm watch extends from Edisto Beach, SC, to Surf City, NC.

The National Weather Service says that the current storm watches will probably evolve into warnings later today. A watch means that the weather condition is expected, but not imminent; while a warning means that the weather condition is imminent or occurring.

PECO Issues Recommendations

The utility’s full emergency response organization is preparing for the damage Irene may inflict upon our area this weekend, according to a news release from PECO.

Here's how you can prepare:

• Keep PECO's emergency telephone number (1-800-841-4141) handy
• Have a flashlight with fresh batteries on each floor of your home
• Have a battery powered clock and radio available

If an outage occurs:

• Customers without power should contact the company at 1-800-841-4141. The more customers who call to report an outage, the more effectively PECO can dispatch crews and restore service. The company's automated telephone system can quickly record your outage, allowing customer care representatives to remain available to handle reports of dangerous situations.
• Stay away from downed wires, damaged electric equipment, and tree limbs and branches contacting electrical equipment. Always assume PECO's equipment is energized--even if there is an outage in your neighborhood. Report these dangerous conditions to PECO immediately.
• Turn off and unplug appliances and other devices to prevent possible damage. Remember to keep one light on so you know when service has been restored.
• Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible. Move meats, cheese, milk, etc. into the freezer to stay colder longer. A partially full freezer can keep food frozen for up to 24 hours, and up to 48 hours when full.
• Customers with generators should never connect them directly to home wiring or plug them into household outlets. Generators connected to home wiring can 'backfeed' into PECO's electric delivery system, risking serious injury or death to PECO crews. Generators should always be placed outside to prevent carbon-monoxide poisoning.

Click here for hurricane and and flood safety guidelines from The Red Cross.