New York State Senator Kenneth P. LaValle, Assemblymen Fred W. Thiele Jr. and Assemblyman Anthony Palumbo have called on PSEG leadership to better respond to the needs of their constituents and improve the lines of communication in the restoration of critical power to our region following Tropical Storm Isaias last week that left more than 400,000 customers without power, some for days.
Tropical Storm Isaias cast a glancing blow on the South Fork Tuesday — the storm tracked just west of New York City — but its power was felt locally, as thousands of people lost power due to downed trees and power lines, and area residents were left cleaning up pockets of damage Wednesday morning from fallen trees, damaged homes, wrecked cars that were struck by falling limbs, and a spattering of house fires from downed electrical lines.
Crews worked around he clock to restore power to those affected, but many homes were left without power until Monday
“It is unacceptable that after infusing substantial amounts of rate payer dollars into storm hardening and communication systems after Super Storm Sandy, many customers are still in the dark days after the storm, and could not get through to PSEG to report their outage,” Senator LaValle said in a press release on Friday. “Communication in times of crisis is critical and PSEG’s system completely failed. Additionally, staging efforts were insufficient, and towns were left waiting on PSEG crews to clean up downed trees and wires. If this is a measure of their ability to respond, they are woefully unprepared for a major storm or hurricane.”
Assemblyman Thiele added, “The breakdown in communication and total lack of adequate preparation demonstrated by PSEG in this latest storm is completely unacceptable and is particularly problematic during a pandemic when people are forced to remain inside and work from home. Thousands across Long Island remain without power nearly three days after the storm, wires and trees are still down presenting significant safety hazards, and local officials have been left with nowhere to turn. As we are only just entering hurricane season, PSEG must identify and immediately fix what is necessary to prevent future catastrophes like this one.”
Assemblyman Palumbo said the utility fell short.
“PSEG has charged our residents millions of dollars under the guise of investing in improved communications and storm preparedness systems,” he said in the release. “During the first tropical storm to come our way since then, these emergency services immediately collapses on us. This is absolutely unacceptable and just another sign of how outdated our communications lines are and how ill-equipped PSEG is in responding to our needs and overhauling their antiquated systems to meet our present situation.”
“We are deeply appreciative of the crews who are working tirelessly to restore power to our region and will continue our efforts to ensure they have the manpower and assets they need to get the job done. We are calling on PSEG leadership to use every resource possible to get the power turned back on. Once that is accomplished, we will demand a full investigation of why the system failed at all levels and how it will be fixed going forward,” the legislators said in the release.
Staff Writer on Aug 10, 2020