United Westchester report calls for better post-storm performance from utilities
A shopping list of failures by utilities in responding to storms is contained in a just-released report by United Westchester, a coalition of local, county and state officials that has been working on utility storm response since 2018. Also in the report, recommendations for things utilities could do to improve their readiness for future storms.
Co-chairs of the group are Westchester County Executive George Latimer and state Assemblywoman Amy Paulin. The United Westchester group was originally formed in 2018 following the widespread outages and slow restoration of service after storms Riley and Quinn. Every top elected official from local governments in Westchester was invited to participate, along with county, state and congressional officeholders.
In response to what was seen as continued failures in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Isaias in August of 2020, United Westchester reconvened to examine the failures of the county”™s electric utility and telecommunications companies in response to the storm.
Fifteen United Westchester members participated in a Jan. 4 virtual news conference unveiling the report.
In addition to recommending that electric utilities be required to reimburse customers for losses of food and medicine as a result of power outages, it called on Altice and Verizon to be required to issue credits to customers for periods that their telecommunications services are out.
The report called on Con Edison and New York State Electric and Gas to improve communication with municipalities while making recommendations for Altice and Verizon to upgrade their infrastructure.
It was critical of Con Edison”™s weather forecasting, pointing out that its forecasts did not include wind direction. United Westchester said that if you don”™t know from which direction the wind is coming, you can”™t judge its effect on trees and the vulnerability of overhead power lines.
Paulin said, “Our service providers know what went wrong. They now need to address the issues and recommendations set forth in the report so that power restoration efforts in Westchester County can be significantly improved.”
The report calls for Con Edison and NYSEG to take steps that include:
- The use of smart meters to track customers who are without power, creating a live interactive outage map for public viewing;
- A regularly updated and shared list of critical facilities;
- An updated map of Con Edison”™s grid provided to each municipality;
- Better internal communications in Con Edison between management, field and workers;
- More reliable supply and distribution of dry ice;
- A 10-year storm hardening plan and implementation.
Among the recommendations for Altice and Verizon:
- Improved coordination with electric utility companies during post-storm restoration efforts;
- Fixing customer service tools and availability;
- Providing municipal officials with operational contacts;
- Giving customers credits when they lose access to telecommunications services;
- For Altice, upgrading infrastructure and creating backup power for portions of its network so that customers can continue to receive service even when power from electric utilities fails.
“As a group we have produced a document that is not simply another call for change but a carefully thought out blueprint for real measurable improvement in the way utilities prepare for and respond to storm events,” said White Plains Mayor Tom Roach.
According to Pound Ridge Supervisor Kevin Hansan, “Every level of government in Westchester County is calling on our electric utility and telecommunications companies to do nothing more than provide the minimum service paid for by our residents.”