EPP’s Caffrey a Presenter at Forum on Coastal Storms

Hammonton, NJ – August 21, 2006 – EPP Vice President of Operations Michael Caffrey provided the latest information on utility emergency preparation and response to coastal storms at a special forum hosted by the New Jersey Utilities Association’s Safety and Health and Operations Committees in Wall, NJ. Caffrey’s review included information from Mississippi Power and Laclede Gas in St. Louis concerning mutual assistance to New Orleans and the southern states.

Coastal storms come in many shapes and size: Nor’easters, tropical cyclones, tropical depressions, tropical storms, storm surges and hurricanes, to name just a few.  Each type of coastal storm requires special restoration and resource mobilization efforts, especially hurricanes.  In the northeast, hurricanes are most likely to hit from August to October. 

OSHA was co-host of the forum, which included safety and operations professionals from all seventeen of NJUA’s member companies. Representatives from OSHA presented information on OSHA’s role in worker safety and health support, the agency’s role with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in emergency management. They also discussed future training for utility companies on hazards often encountered by field workers during storm cleanup and restoration activities.  All in all, it was an incredibly productive forum on coastal storms.