Duquesne Light Vows To Do Better After Recent Storm Response

PITTSBURGH, PA — Duquesne Light on Tuesday acknowledged that its response to the swath of severe storms last week that knocked out power to nearly 100,000 customers was inadequate. The utility sent an email to customers pledging to perform better in the future.

After severe storms pummeled the region on June 17, power was knocked out to about 93,000 customers during one of the most severe heat waves to grip the region in years. Duquesne Light took days to restore service to some areas, and did not have power completely back on until June 21.

Adding to the problems on June 17: Duquesne Light's website encountered technical difficulties that temporarily prevented people from reporting outages and kept the company from providing more timely information on restoration efforts.

"We know many of you lost power for several days in extreme heat," Duquesne Light said in its email. "While this storm was out of our control, our limited communication with you about outage progress was not. We know that we can do better."

The company said Tuesday it is rolling out a new online map that will provide better information on where outages are occurring and giving people more clear-cut estimated restoration times. Duquesne Light also is debuting a customer alert system that will provide messages via text, phone or email.

"We know it is essential for Duquesne Light Company to provide exceptional service to all of our 600,000 customers in Allegheny and Beaver counties," the company stated. Through ongoing investments we’ve made in our people, processes and technology, we’ll be more prepared to respond when severe weather comes your way."