Don't let the title scare you......

 

I just had to share: Power out sometime last Saturday mid-morning (October 29). Electric power restored at 6:20 PM today (November 4). I'm thrilled!

 

I have no issue with JCP&L. This area looks as if a flight of B-52s were on a carpet bombing mission. Trees, poles, live wires down everywhere - many impassible roads (including mine). I'm amazed they got to our road with few houses so quickly.

 

A lot of cash went to gasoline for my generator, but well worth the investment. Of course, now I want a higher capacity gen so we can run the range, clothes dryer, dishwasher, etc. Nope - we have no natural gas around here.

 

This is one for the books; not one I'd care to repeat anytime soon.

 

Hang in there if you are still in the dark - help is coming!

I'm very glad to hear!

 

I find it amazing how devastating this storm was, as well as previous storms-- and it goes to show that the impact of any incident, big or small, boils down to the local level.

 

I'm also amazed that my area, specifically my neighborhood, never really loses power. We have a number of power resets that happen more frequently then I would want, but the last time my neighborhood had any type of widespread power loss was a very random incident (due to the power company re-working the grid my neighborhood is located as they were building new houses near by). Other then that, haven't had any issues in the 20 years or so that I've lived in this area.

Well I do have issues with JCP&L. I was out for 6 days. Got power back this afternoon. The utilities need to be reinvesting in the infrstructure without raising rates.

Well I do have issues with JCP&L. I was out for 6 days. Got power back this afternoon. The utilities need to be reinvesting in the infrstructure without raising rates.

+1

 

My office was out for 4 days, it is on a major highway, and there was no obvious damage to to the lines anywhere near me or in the quarter mile between my office and the area down the road that still had power. Same thing happened after Irene except that it was only out for 2 and a half days that time.

Last Sat and Sun after the snow i drove all around Hunterdon County and i have never seen so much devastation as in this storm to trees and wires.

+1

 

My office was out for 4 days, it is on a major highway, and there was no obvious damage to to the lines anywhere near me or in the quarter mile between my office and the area down the road that still had power. Same thing happened after Irene except that it was only out for 2 and a half days that time.

No one can prepare for something like this, more then likely main lines were down and transformers blew. The power companies dont have a "reserve" of workers massive enough to undertake everything that happened, and they prioritize. The neighborhood around the corner from me just got power on tonight because of a transformer, driving through u would wonder why the power was out, no downed lines. I'm not sure what people expect them to do? cut down every tree that is within the radius of a power line?

No one can prepare for something like this, more then likely main lines were down and transformers blew. The power companies dont have a "reserve" of workers massive enough to undertake everything that happened, and they prioritize. The neighborhood around the corner from me just got power on tonight because of a transformer, driving through u would wonder why the power was out, no downed lines. I'm not sure what people expect them to do? cut down every tree that is within the radius of a power line?

 

 

That is such a "sheepish" attitude! It's all about failure analysis and acceptable risk. I have underground utilities. But a feeder transformer a mile away was the cause of my outage. A transformer hanging on a pole. Totally unacceptable.

 

With 3rd qtr earnings of $175 million, with revenue of $3.7 billion FirstEnergy should support a more stable infrastructure.

 

jackdawack- you are making excuses for a monopoly that has no accountability to it's customers who have no other option for their power delivery.

No one can prepare for something like this, more then likely main lines were down and transformers blew.

 

Sure they can, while this storm was not the norm, there are plenty of things they could have done.

 

1. Identify the most critical feed lines and visually inspect them for possible tree damage.

 

2. Move to secondary feeds and as time allows move down the list of priority based on down-line impact.

 

3. inspect switching station and transformer farms for possible damage, not normally a high risk area, but impact is greatest.

 

These are just a few idea off the top of my head that could have been done as soon as it was known that there was a chance of winter precipitation when all the trees had there leaves still on them. While we at the airport may have been impacted a lot greater than we thought, we still had planning meeting 4 days out.

 

Ongoing work that could be done, I know we have all heard the radio chatter that it would cost a million bucks a mile to bury the lines, I call BS on that, that may be a number for some sections with many lines but don't tell me it's that cost running thought a residential neighborhood, and even is you average the cost across the board I doubt it would come to this price. Either way, it doesn't need to be completed next week, or next year. However infrastructure upgrades should be on going as well as PM work. Thats the reason we they have 1 year plans, 5, 10, 15 and 20 year plans and constant adjustments as things change.

 

Start putting lines under ground as a part of some schedule, ramp up transformer replacements, add some more redundancy in the systems, there is plenty that can be done and while some of it may be in work, this past storm did show that it isn't fast enough and response was poor, as well as communications and this just after the problem we had with the storm not to long ago that we all remember, so it does show that they did not learn from the mistakes of the last storm and acted like things will magically fix themselves and that is where they could have made a difference.

 

So I'll go back to the original comment, yes they could have not only prepared better, they could have reacted better.

So I'll go back to the original comment, yes they could have not only prepared better, they could have reacted better.

 

Agreed Harry. I'm working on a project to suppy temp power to a 30 unit high end townhouse complex. It's not "rocket science"

I have a phrase I like to use at my real job when working with some contractors.

 

The lack of proper planning on you part does not constitute and emergency on mine.

 

BUT the lack of planning on their part, in this situation most definetly constitutes an emergency on yours...

 

Imagine *if* this was a more widespread incident whereby no addnl crews could come in to assist as they were either prioritized elsewhere or stayed in their home area.

 

Think how reliant we are in THIS day and age to the grid. Not to hijack the thread here but you want to take the US out??? Take out the grid. Read a book that the writing was not spectacular, but the premise and story were. Lights out. Makes you think.

 

We surprisingly never lost power at home as we usually do so we were lucky. Glad it's coming back online for you folks.

Wow! I sure did not intend to ignite a firestorm with my original post, but it appears I did anyway, so I may as well jump in.

 

I will modify slightly my statement: I have no fault with JCP&L concerning their response to the effects of this storm. The damage in my area was catastrophic and they did a phenomenal job of restoring power. The length of time we were out is reasonable if prioritization is considered. Hospitals, nursing homes, emergency services get first priority. Efforts can then be directed toward homes and businesses. It is only logical that higher concentrations of residences be brought back before suburban and rural environments. One transformer in an urban setting may restore service to hundreds of people. A similar transformer in a rural area may service only one or two homes.

 

The design of underground cabling in interesting; expensive to be sure, but has its advantages. Is the average customer willing to underwrite the cost of replacing pole wiring with underground? What is the cost per residence? Would you pay tens of thousands of dollars to have your home wiring moved underground? I think not. Planned new developments are likely targets for underground utility service but, in my opinion, retrofitting existing infrastructure is out of the question. By the way, what happens when salt water runoff invades the electrical vaults and tunnels as could easily happen in the winter when a lot of road salt has been spread? I don't now but imagine it would not be a cable-friendly environment.

 

Now, if the government would issue every dwelling a small nuke generator for basement installation we would be free of all of this concern Great, more of the government owning responsibility for the lives of citizens =@

Check your power bills - You guys have a "Delivery charge" right? Well - if you weren't getting electricity for several days, shouldn't they waive that charge since it wasn't being delivered?

haha

Wow! I sure did not intend to ignite a firestorm with my original post, but it appears I did anyway, so I may as well jump in.

 

I will modify slightly my statement: I have no fault with JCP&L concerning their response to the effects of this storm. The damage in my area was catastrophic and they did a phenomenal job of restoring power. The length of time we were out is reasonable if prioritization is considered. Hospitals, nursing homes, emergency services get first priority. Efforts can then be directed toward homes and businesses. It is only logical that higher concentrations of residences be brought back before suburban and rural environments. One transformer in an urban setting may restore service to hundreds of people. A similar transformer in a rural area may service only one or two homes.

 

The design of underground cabling in interesting; expensive to be sure, but has its advantages. Is the average customer willing to underwrite the cost of replacing pole wiring with underground? What is the cost per residence? Would you pay tens of thousands of dollars to have your home wiring moved underground? I think not. Planned new developments are likely targets for underground utility service but, in my opinion, retrofitting existing infrastructure is out of the question. By the way, what happens when salt water runoff invades the electrical vaults and tunnels as could easily happen in the winter when a lot of road salt has been spread? I don't now but imagine it would not be a cable-friendly environment.

 

Now, if the government would issue every dwelling a small nuke generator for basement installation we would be free of all of this concern Great, more of the government owning responsibility for the lives of citizens =@

The problem I had with JCP&L's response is that my office is on a major highway, the traffic lights were also out, the police do not have the resources to direct traffic so they cone off the intersections and force everyone to make right turns and then find a place to make a U turn a mile or two down the road. After four days of sitting in extra traffic, what happens? people start going through the intersections with non working traffic lights anyway because they are tired of the BS, someone is going to get killed.

 

I also lost 4 days of business because my phones were not working, their corporate frugality is costing ME money. I'm not on some back road with only one or two customers, that I could understand taking 4 days to repair, this was unacceptable.

The problem I had with JCP&L's response is that my office is on a major highway, the traffic lights were also out, the police do not have the resources to direct traffic so they cone off the intersections and force everyone to make right turns and then find a place to make a U turn a mile or two down the road. After four days of sitting in extra traffic, what happens? people start going through the intersections with non working traffic lights anyway because they are tired of the BS, someone is going to get killed.

 

I also lost 4 days of business because my phones were not working, their corporate frugality is costing ME money. I'm not on some back road with only one or two customers, that I could understand taking 4 days to repair, this was unacceptable.

 

You are correct. There is little excuse for a major highway to go without power that long. That should certainly be a high priority following the hospitals, etc. I wonder what JCP&L will offer as a reason, if they say anything at all.