Severe storms kill 3; nearly 140,000 lose power

EAGLEVILLE » A line of powerful storms caused severe damage to parts of Montgomery County on Wednesday and claimed the lives of three people, officials said.

As of 5 p.m., there were still more than 138,000 customers without power, and numerous roads remained closed.

Two of the fatalities occurred in Lower Merion Township, while one occurred in Lower Moreland Township, according to county officials.

The Montgomery County Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) Team is assisting at the Lower Moreland Township incident, which remained active as of 5 p.m.

Numerous long-term care facilities lost commercial power during the storm, and as of 5 p.m., 12 were still utilizing emergency generators.

The Department of Public Safety was working with the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania to coordinate assistance to these facilities.

Special consideration is being given to ensure the continued isolation of long-term care residents who have COVID-19, despite any power interruptions.

Emergency responders across Montgomery County responded to several structure fires and many reports of trees that had fallen onto occupied buildings and vehicles.

In addition, a 150-unit apartment complex in Lansdale experienced significant roof damage during the storm. The Lansdale

Borough Emergency Management Agency is working with the Red Cross to coordinate housing for a large number of displaced residents.

The Montgomery County Emergency Communications Center received 1,537 calls for assistance in a one-hour period from 12:00 PM until 1:00 PM. For comparison, the center answers approximately 2,300 calls in an average day (24 hours).

The National Weather Service – Mt. Holly, NJ, reported a maximum wind gust for Montgomery County of 76 miles per hour, which was observed by a trained spotter in Pottstown at 11:59 a.m.

Municipalities with at least 5,000 customers without power as of 5 p.m. include: Abington Township, Lower Merion Township,

Lower Providence Township, the Municipality of Norristown, Pottstown Borough, Upper Merion Township, Upper Moreland Township, Upper Providence Township, and West Norriton Township.

Information for residents and businesses

• If you lose power, do not call 9-1-1. Call your local utility provider to report the outage.

o PECO: 1-800-841-4141

o PPL: 1-800-342-5775

o Met-Ed: 1-888-544-4877

• Always assume that all power lines are live, even if you lose power in your home. Never go near or touch a fallen power line.

• If the outage lasts into the night, exercise extreme caution with candles and never place them near combustible materials such as curtains or furniture.

• Keep your refrigerator and freezer doors closed, which should keep food cold for about 4 hours.

• Be sure to dispose of any perishables (meat, poultry, fish, eggs, leftovers, etc.) that have been above 40° F for 2 hours or more.

• If you have a portable generator, never use it inside your home or even in a partially enclosed area. Generators, as well as gas and charcoal grills, produce Carbon Monoxide, which is an odorless, colorless gas that can kill you. Keep the generator far away from doors, windows, and air intakes.

• Never overload the generator or attempt to power your house by plugging it into a wall outlet.

Both practices can cause electric shock or fire.