FirstEnergy is preparing for any power outages caused by heavy winds and severe weather, offering customers a new online service on smart phones.
"It just gives our customers some flexibility," said Mark Durbin, FirstEnergy spokesman. "Some people are out and about and they can use their smart phone."
During severe weather and emergencies, the maps will feature an alert with links to outage-related news, safety reminders, and other important information.
Customers can view power outages by state, county or zip code using the new "24/7 Power Center" maps.
The system also offers a new way for customers to report power outages online, but customers can still report power outages by phone.
"Either way, it gets you to the same place. Don't think that you have to call and then follow up with a report on the website," said Durbin.
The interactive maps use color coding to show the number of customers affected by power outages across Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, New York and West Virginia service areas. It allows customers to easily zoom in to access local outage information from their utility.
Later this year, FirstEnergy will include detailed estimated restoration times during large-scale weather events including text alerts.
