General

See a streetlight out? Let us know

The scent of pumpkin spice wafts from coffee houses. Leaves are changing colors and starting to litter lawns. And days are starting to get shorter.

It’s the perfect time to make sure streets and walkways are safe and well lit.

“With kids back in school and Halloween fast approaching, we want to remind our customers be sure to let us know if you have any streetlights out in your area as soon as possible to give OPPD’s crews time to get the issue addressed,” said Todd McLochlin, manager of Utilities Coordination for OPPD.

Customers can report outages by calling 1-800-554-OPPD, visiting OPPD’s streetlight outage page or downloading the OPPDconnect app on your smartphone.

Streetlight damage

OPPD  has about three times the typical number of streetlight outages across its 13-county service territory right now, McLochlin said. That’s due to the high number of damaging storms we’ve seen this year, particularly the historic storm July 31 that knocked out power to more than 220,000 customers.

“Streetlights are not immune to damage in winds as strong as we’ve seen,” he said.

The poles themselves can sustain damage in severe weather, and they can also be damaged by trees colliding on them. OPPD is devoting an increasing number of resources to tree trimming near power lines and other electrical infrastructure, including streetlights, to try and minimize weather-related service disruptions.

Halloween safety

With Halloween fast-approaching, customers can take steps of their own to help ensure the safety of trick-or-treaters and families.

If you plan to give out candy, the American Red Cross recommends checking to ensure your porch lights are in working order and bright enough so young visitors can see where they’re going. Sweep leaves from your sidewalks and steps. And clear your porch or front yard of obstacles someone could trip over.

Children should only trick-or-treat at homes with porch lights on, the Red Cross said. They should also use flashlights to light their way and wear face makeup in place of masks so that they can see. If possible, families should wear light clothing while trick-or-treating and add reflective tape to costumes and trick-or-treat bags.