Crews work to fix power lines in Pasadena (KTLA-TV) |
LOS ANGELES (KTLA) -- A preliminary investigation into the outages triggered by last years unprecedented wind storm that left thousands without electricity for days finds Edison did not meet safety standards.
440,000 SoCal Edison customers were without power at the peak of the outage, and thousands remained without power a week later.
Some of the hardest hit areas were Alhambra, South Pasadena, Pasadena, San Marino and San Gabriel.
After the storm, the state PUC announced it would investigate why the outages occurred and why it took so long for power to be restored.
"SCE has a duty to provide safe and reliable service to its customers and we have a duty to make sure SCE is doing all it can to fulfill that mandate," PUC Executive Director Paul Clanon said in a statement.
The preliminary findings show that at least 20 of the more than 200 power poles downed during the windstorm did not meet safety standards.
According to the report released Wednesday in San Francisco, the poles were overloaded with cables and equipment prior to the wind event, a potential violation of state law subject to penalties.
In addition, investigators found that Edison’s restoration time “was not adequate” and information in its emergency procedures “was not updated and did not follow the training schedule outlined in its local public affairs plan.”
PUC President Michael Peevey said that more must be done.
“There is no question that this, to some degree, was a botched operation,” Peevey said, noting he understands that it was a difficult storm.
“A year and a half ago, when we had the San Bruno (pipeline explosion), we moved safety to No. 1 in this commission. It’s quite clear that Edison and presumably others are not keeping up with what we want and expect from them.”
Read more: http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_19869334#ixzz1lAiHHc10
440,000 SoCal Edison customers were without power at the peak of the outage, and thousands remained without power a week later.
Some of the hardest hit areas were Alhambra, South Pasadena, Pasadena, San Marino and San Gabriel.
After the storm, the state PUC announced it would investigate why the outages occurred and why it took so long for power to be restored.
"SCE has a duty to provide safe and reliable service to its customers and we have a duty to make sure SCE is doing all it can to fulfill that mandate," PUC Executive Director Paul Clanon said in a statement.
The preliminary findings show that at least 20 of the more than 200 power poles downed during the windstorm did not meet safety standards.
According to the report released Wednesday in San Francisco, the poles were overloaded with cables and equipment prior to the wind event, a potential violation of state law subject to penalties.
In addition, investigators found that Edison’s restoration time “was not adequate” and information in its emergency procedures “was not updated and did not follow the training schedule outlined in its local public affairs plan.”
PUC President Michael Peevey said that more must be done.
“There is no question that this, to some degree, was a botched operation,” Peevey said, noting he understands that it was a difficult storm.
“A year and a half ago, when we had the San Bruno (pipeline explosion), we moved safety to No. 1 in this commission. It’s quite clear that Edison and presumably others are not keeping up with what we want and expect from them.”
Read more: http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_19869334#ixzz1lAiHHc10
