New Jersey Board of Public Utilities Accepts EPP’s Major Storms Report
Hammonton, NJ – September 2012 – The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) held a Special Board Agenda Meeting on September 12, 2012 to formally accept the report prepared by Emergency Preparedness Partnerships (EPP). The report titled, “Performance Review of EDCs in 2011 Major Storms” focuses on the Electric Distribution Companies’ (EDC) preparedness and responses to major storms in light of Hurricane Irene and the subsequent and unexpected October 2011 snowstorm. Our report documents the observations, findings, and their recommendations based on a comprehensive review of the regulated EDCs’ storm preparations and emergency response plans.
The report contains 143 industry-wide and EDC-specific recommendations designed to enhance the EDCs preparedness, response and recovery from future major storm events. Immediate action by the EDCs is called for in the report to improve restoration communications, including the addition of staff during storm events to handle expected calls and the use of social media to inform affected customers. Some report recommendations may require further staff review.
“Today the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities continues its work with the electric utilities to ensure they all are prepared for the task of dealing with future weather related emergencies, “said Bob Hanna, President of the NJ BPU. “The Board will act very soon on recommendations from staff resulting from EPP’s report and stakeholder comments. Future actions, along with other recent actions taken by the Board will significantly improve the electric companies’ performance in the areas of preparedness for severe weather events, ability to communicate accurate and timely information effectively to customers and local authorities, and effectiveness of recovery operations.”
The report can be found online at the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities website: https://www.nj.gov/bpu/pdf/announcements/2012/stormreport2011.pdf
