The Summer of 2012 will be remembered as a hot one, filled with powerful thunderstorms and several power outages. Jersey Central Power and Light is urging all property owners and their customers to be mindful of potential problems on your property.

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When the power goes out, the first reaction from many is to automatically blame the utility company.

However, most outages are caused when a tree falls onto electrical lines. Some have suggested moving the wires underground.

How viable would something like that be? It seems like a common sense kind of a plan – however, JCP&L Spokesman Ron Morano says, “Not so fast.”

Morano says, “In theory, it sounds good but it would cost billions of dollars. In fact, there’s really no way to get a full cost estimate on something like that. The cost would be astronomical. To put the infrastructure under the ground would lead to difficulty because if something needed repair, it would be next near impossible to make repairs.”

The company performs routine trimming work every so often to clear hazards.

Morano adds, “It’s a good idea for everyone to look at the trees on your own property to make sure there’s not an issue. During the recent storm in Freehold, several trees were uprooted and came crashing down on homes and power lines. We found many of these trees to already be dead or on their way out.”

If you see any hazards like a tree that looks like an issue, you can contact them online.

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