READING, Pa., Nov. 25, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) utilities Metropolitan Edison (Met-Ed) and Pennsylvania Electric Company (Penelec) in central and eastern Pennsylvania are monitoring developing weather conditions and preparing for the season's first significant snowfall, which could blanket the eastern half of the state with up to nine inches of snow.

"FirstEnergy meteorologists are monitoring the weather conditions closely and we will deploy resources, if needed, to the Met-Ed and Penelec areas in Pennsylvania that could be most impacted by the forecasted snow," said Dave Karafa, president of FirstEnergy's Pennsylvania Operations. "Our storm pre-planning, combined with the infrastructure enhancement projects we continue to do throughout the Met-Ed and Penelec service areas, are designed to reduce the number of outages our customers could experience due to the weather and speed the restoration process if outages do occur."

Additional crews will be available to work on Thanksgiving Day if needed.

The forecast calls for up to nine inches of snow in some areas across the eastern half of Pennsylvania, beginning Wednesday morning and continuing into the afternoon. Heavy snow can snap tree limbs, damaging power lines and causing outages.

Customers who are without power are encouraged to call 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877) to report their outage or click the "Report Outage" link on www.firstenergycorp.com. In the event of severe weather, customers should immediately report downed wires to their utility or their local police or fire department. Customers should never go near a downed power line, even if they think it is no longer carrying electricity. Extra caution should be used in areas where downed lines are tangled in trees or other debris. Motorists are cautioned to treat intersections with inoperable traffic signals as four-way stops.

For updated information on the company's current outages, FirstEnergy's storm restoration process and tips for staying safe, visit the 24/7 Power Center at www.firstenergycorp.com/outages.

Met-Ed and Penelec customers also can use a free smartphone app to report outages and access important information and services related to their electric accounts. The app is available for Apple(®) iPhone(®) and Android((TM)) smartphones. Customers can use the keyword "FirstEnergy" to locate the apps in the online store.

In addition, customers can use FirstEnergy's text messaging service to report outages and receive updates on reported outages. Text REG to 544487 (LIGHTS) to get started.

Met-Ed serves approximately 560,000 customers in 15 Pennsylvania counties, and Penelec serves approximately 600,000 customers in 31 Pennsylvania counties.

Follow Met-Ed on Twitter @Met Ed and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MetEdElectric. Connect with Penelec on Twitter @Penelec and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PenelecElectric.

FirstEnergy is a diversified energy company dedicated to safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its 10 electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York.

www.firstenergycorp.com

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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.