READING, Aug. 9, 2012 — State Sen. Judy Schwank called the recent release of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission’s (PUC) evaluation of the response of electric utilities to outages caused by multiple severe storms last year a “step in the right direction,” but expressed concern that the agency’s efforts “might not go far enough.”
“Severe storm-related events, especially the freak snowstorm on Oct. 29, 2011, caused unprecedented, prolonged power outages throughout Berks County and the entire Commonwealth,” said Schwank.
“The PUC’s reports contain a number of positive recommendations, not the least of which is ensuring that electric distribution companies provide timely and accurate information to customers during outage events, and the ‘action items’ the commission will implement are a step in the right direction,” added Schwank. “However, while I am pleased that the Public Utility Commission has completed its lengthy and time consuming review, I am concerned that agency’s efforts might not go far enough.
“Last year’s storm-related outages caused real hardships for real people that demanded a thorough and timely response,” noted Schwank. “The wheels of government turn slowly and we need to make sure that the Commission follows through on implementing its action items to minimize the impact of future storm events, especially as we approach winter.”
Schwank noted that as a result of extensive meetings and communications she has had with officials of Met-Ed, the company had previously agreed to implement a number of procedures to improve the company’s response to weather-related outages, including stationing a company liaison in the Berks County 911 Emergency Call Center during these events.
“I intend to continue to work with our local utilities and push the commission to follow through to ensure that we are all ready to deal with any future events,” Schwank said.
Schwank also pointed out that even with the efforts to minimize the impact of future weather events on utility services it is important for area residents to be ready for potential emergencies. Information on how to prepare your home and family for emergencies is available at www.readypa.gov.
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