Jul 12, 2019   SOURCE: BusinessWire

Aqua America Emphasizes Importance of Hurricane Preparedness

Aqua America encourages customers to prepare ahead for the possible loss of service during a hurricane with helpful suggestions.

This hurricane season, which runs from June through November, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts four to eight hurricanes to form on the Atlantic. While many of Aqua’s systems are designed to remain operational during poor weather, power outages can disrupt routine drinking water delivery and the ability to treat and pump wastewater.

Aqua advises customers to be educated and equipped for the upcoming season. Although Aqua does everything in its power to remain operational during storms, a hurricane can wreak havoc in the communities Aqua serves, especially in coastal regions, so customers should become as prepared as possible for the potential loss of water service.

If water service is affected by hurricane conditions, Aqua’s top three tips to stay safe and prepared are:

1. Ahead of a storm, save water for essential use by filling empty pitchers and pots — even bathtubs can be used to store water in case service is interrupted.

2. Sign up for Aqua’s WaterSmart alerts, an automated service designed for quick, reliable communication about water quality and service in case of disruption. Aqua’s WaterSmart alerts are delivered by phone, text or email.

3. If customers are under a boil water advisory after Aqua restores service, disinfect tap water by boiling it. Purify all water that could be ingested—through uses such as drinking, cooking, brushing teeth or making ice—by bringing it to a rolling boil for two minutes and letting it cool. It is better that young infants and pregnant women use bottled or stored water instead of boiled tap water whenever possible for drinking and cooking until the boil water advisory is lifted.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency also offers tips and tools to prepare in the days and hours before a hurricane.

Aqua America (NYSE: WTR) is the second-largest publicly traded water utility based in the U.S., and serves more than 3 million people in Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina, Illinois, Texas, New Jersey, Indiana and Virginia. Visit AquaAmerica.com for more information and follow Aqua on Facebook at facebook.com/MyAquaAmerica and on Twitter at @MyAquaAmerica.

WTRG