American Electric Power : AEP's Response to COVID-19

March 18, 2020

AEP's Response to COVID-19

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Updated: Wednesday, March 18, 2020

American Electric Power is committed to the health and safety of our customers, communities and employees. We're closely monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic. While the days ahead may look different than what we're all used to, we don't anticipate COVID-19 will cause any disruption in our ability to provide power to our customers.

Our existing emergency response plans ensure we can provide service to our customers and keep our employees healthy. We're also collaborating with other utility companies and industry organizations on preparation efforts and coordinating with public health agencies throughout our service areas. We're following recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and continually reviewing our responses and the guidance we are providing to our employees.

Billing and Financial Hardship

AEP temporarily has suspended all service disconnections for non-payment. We know our customers are concerned about their families, and ensuring they have reliable electric service allows them to focus on staying healthy and well. We urge customers to make every effort to keep their accounts current during the period when disconnections are suspended. If customers anticipate problems paying their electric bill, they should contact us to discuss payment options. Consumers in AEP Texas' service area who have payment-related questions should contact their Retail Electric Provider to discuss billing or payment issues.

Workforce Safety

Our team is monitoring guidance from the CDC and taking careful precautions to keep our workforce safe. Employees whose job functions allow them to work from home have been asked to do so until April 6, 2020. Our line crews and other employees who interact with the public and are critical to keeping power flowing are being instructed on how to perform their work and minimize exposure to the virus. To help prevent transmission of the virus, we have restricted outside visitors to all of our facilities.

We continue to monitor the situation and will update customers accordingly. The safety and health of our customers, communities and employees is our highest priority.