By JORDAN WOMPIERSKI

Staff Writer

Atlantic City Electric announced Friday that local residents should prepare themselves for “potentially extended days out of service” in the wake of Hurricane Irene.

In a conference call Friday afternoon, Atlantic City Electric Regional President Vince Maione said the company is prepared for the storm, but expects potential difficulties because of the severity of the hurricane.

“We are taking all the necessary steps to prepare for this potentially devastating hurricane,” Maione said. “We’ve been preparing since Monday. All of our resources have been working diligently every day and evening preparing for the storm, and I feel very confident that our group has done a great job preparing.”

Despite the company’s best efforts to prepare, Maione said based on the way the storm is tracking, the situation could become serious throughout the weekend.

“We’re not taking it lightly,” he said, noting that electric difficulties will hinge largely on the amount of rain and wind the hurricane brings. “That’s not a good recipe for our poles or the trees.”

Maione said a group of Atlantic City Electric workers will be on the job Saturday night with even more working on Sunday.

“Because of the potential magnitude of the storm, our folks are scheduled to come in Saturday evening with a small contingency of folks … and then we will proceed with a full contingency on Sunday morning,” he said.

However, Maione cautioned that it may take a while for power to be restored in the event it is lost, partly because conditions may not allow for electrical workers to be out on the street safely.

“We will have people out on the street for critical emergencies,” Maione said, “but actual restoration may not begin for a period up to 12 to 24 hours after the storm subsides.”

High winds may delay the process because wires cannot be repaired safely under those conditions.

“That work has to cease until those winds do subside,” said Maione. “We want folks to understand that if they don’t see us working or doing what appears to be any work, it’s due to the severity of the winds.”

Maione also shot down rumors that Atlantic City Electric would be turning off power to some customers in advance of the storm.

“We’ve heard some rumors that Atlantic City Electric is preemptively or proactively will be disconnecting electric power to some of our customers,” he said. “That is absolutely not true.”

If an issue arises during the storm this weekend and Atlantic City Electric needs to de-energize some of its grid, Maione said an announcement will be made.

“But there is no plan at this time to proactively de-energize any of our equipment,” he said.

Maione advised customers to visit  www.atlanticcityelectric.com for the latest information about the storm and power restoration, or call (800) 833-7476 to notify Atlantic City Electric about power outages or to provide a report about downed wires or equipment.

“It’s going to impact quite a swatch of our service territory,” Maione said of Irene.

For now, just like the rest of the area, Maione and Atlantic City Electric will brace for the storm and hope for the best.

“We do ask that our customers stay vigilant and stay safe."