Recommendations Issued To Improve Utilities' Storm Response

WHITE PLAINS, NY — A group of state and local officials issued 42 recommendations Monday for electric utility and telecommunications companies that address the companies' failures in the wake of major storms.

Two of the recommendations from United Westchester are for Con Edison and NYSEG to improve communication with municipalities and Altice and Verizon to upgrade their infrastructure.

Those and the other 40 recommendations were made in the group’s Storm Response Report, in light of Tropical Storm Isaias.

Westchester County Executive George Latimer, state Assemblywoman Amy Paulin and United Westchester released the report Monday with detailed analyses and recommendations to address the failures of the electric utility and telecommunications companies in Westchester.

“This effort came together during the after the 2018 weather crisis, known as storms Riley and Quinn, which caused such devastation and power outages in Westchester County," Latimer said.

"The aftermath of those storms created a group of people all across Westchester County getting together to discuss what the problems were that were experienced and what possible solutions can be identified to make sure we have better relationships with the power and telecommunications organizations in order to provide the proper service during these crises for the residents of our towns, cities, villages and county at large,” he said.

Paulin said the report details recommendations which need to be followed in order to effectively address the utility and telecom failings that occurred after Isaias and prior storms that have severely impacted the county in recent years.

"Our service providers know what went wrong," she said. "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.”

Among the other recommendations for Con Edison and NYSEG:

• 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.
• The creation of the utility reserve corps
• Better 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 powering network nodes during power outages

On Aug. 4, Tropical Storm Isaias hit New York with heavy rain, and winds gusting up to 70 miles per hour. The storm left thousands of Westchester residents without power for multiple days and disrupted telephone, cable, and internet services — services that are particularly essential due to the coronavirus pandemic.

United Westchester is a group of local, county and state officials that have worked together since 2018 to implement significant and necessary improvements to storm response efforts in Westchester County.

White Plains Mayor Tom Roach, United Westchester's Storm Hardening Subcommittee chairman, said, the group 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.

The United Westchester report analyzes, makes recommendations and details what has been done to date regarding the widespread outages, communication failures and emergency response plans of the region’s electric utility and telecommunications providers in connection with Isaias.

The report covers topics including electric utility and telecommunications provider storm preparedness; the pre-storm steps taken to protect the electric distribution grid and critical telecommunications infrastructure; the reasons for the lengthy post-storm repair, restoration of service and reconnection of customers; the extent of coordination between electric utility and telecommunications providers and municipalities in restoring service; and the reasons for the loss of customer service communication during and after the storm.

Former New York State Assemblymember and Former Co-Chairman of United Westchester David Buchwald said Tropical Storm Isaias was unfortunately only the latest in a string of utility underperformance following significant storms dating back at least to Superstorm Sandy, and yet the report documents both new issues — as with telecommunications utilities — and the potential for improvement — as with NYSEG.

"There is no doubt in my mind that United Westchester can make a difference when a utility company is willing to listen to feedback and make fundamental changes to its approach," he said.

The full report can be read here.

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