Community Corner

Communication Key JCP&L Issue in Sandy, Residents Said

They say the use of smartphones would have been a big help during the storm.

Communication was the key element missing in the days following Superstorm Sandy, residents said at a meeting with JCP&L executives Friday.

Bridgewater resident Neha Limaye Pallod—who arranged the meeting and was joined by a few members of a statewide Facebook group she started to make JCP&L answer for its response to power outages in November—said the lack of information on a street level is where the system was truly flawed.

Pallod and other residents met with JCP&L officials at their Morristown headquarters, and she said many made recommendations about how to fix communication for the future.

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“Calls are not getting logged correctly,” she said. “Reporting outages is flawed.”

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All it takes is the use of people’s smartphones, Pallod said, and she said residents at the meeting made recommendations to JCP&L officials that they could let people send in smartphone pictures of downed poles, power lines and more.

“When calls were made to report outages, for some reason, they didn’t get logged correctly,” she said. “Then the next time we called, there was no log-in information.”

“Their data was not getting collected correctly, and they are depending on it,” she added.

Pallod said that, from the meeting, she got the impression that JCP&L did have enough crew members, linemen and other workers to get the work done—she thinks they just didn’t know what the work was.

It is that first level, Pallod said, that she and other residents suggested needs to be fixed.

“Rather than having to send someone and then going back to get their equipment, they can do the first level remotely,” she said. “It could be done quicker.”

Pallod said that she knows people were calling back several times a day because they were not getting responses from JCP&L officials.

“Calls spiked and they couldn’t keep track of the data,” she said. “The root cost seems to be coming down to how things are getting collected.”

Ron Morano, spokesman for JCP&L, said Friday afternoon that the company introduced a smartphone application in early 2013, and customers can download it and use it to report outages and get updates.

“We are continuing to increase the technology that we are able to share with customers,” he said.

Pallod said that, at the meeting, representatives stressed their pride at being part of First Energy, with experience and access to materials.

“What struck us was that they said they did a good job restoring in two weeks time, which is what everyone else did,” she said. “Our question was if you are part of First Energy and have access to more resources, why could you not deliver better and faster?”

For Pallod, she said she still believes it all comes down to having accurate data and more transparency from officials.

“That’s what the expectation was in Sandy, just give us transparent information and let us know so we can prepare,” she said. “We can give you information, you collect it right and process it and give us information back. Almost everybody has a smartphone now, we use it constantly, and that is the time to use it.”

Morano said the company is taking several other steps to better their response, which they shared at the meeting, including providing municipalities with circuit maps to show residents where they get their power. This, he said, will better help them understand what section serves them when they are waiting for power restoration.

“We are relocating municipal liaisons into field offices so we can have more information, and hosting targeted information to municipalities about restoration efforts,” he said.

In addition, Morano said, JCP&L is putting together an initiative to train county first responders and EMS workers so they can understand safety procedures at JCP&L facilities. From there, he said, they can teach those procedures to ambulance corps, fire departments and other first responders.

Pallod said she believes this meeting was a good first step.

“The next level they need is to create a level of transparency, post things on the website, make us part of their network,” she said. “This was the storm of the century, one of the worst situations to be in. Come out in the open, be transparent, show us what improvements you are making and make it public knowledge.”

Morano also said he believes the meeting was a productive dialogue.

“We were able to present information that we have been presenting in various forms since January,” he said. “It was information we have provided to BPU and the public at three separate hearings, to mayors and to legislators.”

“It was an opportunity to further expand on a number of new initiatives we have been talking about,” he added.

Pallod said she is not sure if she will request further meetings, but she does want to keep following up with JCP&L officials.

“I would have liked if more members attended this meeting, but I know everyone is busy,” she said. “I don’t doubt the commitment of the group, everyone wants to see change, and if we can continue a dialogue and keep it going, we can see improvements.”

“We need to humanize ourselves,” she added. “These guys are also people trying to do a job.”


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