Former Town Councilor Santos Addresses Hurricane Irene Power Outages

The Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission on Thursday night stopped off in Middletown to wrap up its series of statewide sessions to collect public comments to National Grid’s response to Hurricane Irene.

Former was the lone local resident to address the three-member panel. She voiced several concerns and offered suggestions aimed at improving the grid with improved technology and reducing power outages by fallen trees and limbs.

Much of the Hurricane Irene power outages across Rhode Island had been attributed to fallen limbs and trees that brought down wires.

"When are we going to start looking into the future to begin installing wires underground?" Santos questioned and referred to many newer developments that are already doing it. "I do know it's costly but it would save all that money in overtime during all these storms if the wires were underground."

Santos also suggested that the PUC push for local ordinances to be adopted in all towns that would prohibit the planting of trees near power lines and utility poles.

"Like us, trees do grow," she said.

As for old and dying trees and aging utility poles, she suggested that the state and National Grid look at a program that starts to take more down, before they fall during storms and might also result in damage to homes and property.

Although technically downgraded to a tropic storm, Irene had brought hurricane force winds to Rhode Island of up to 80 mph and left some Rhode Islanders without power for up to one week.

When Hurricane Irene made landfall in Rhode Island on Sunday, Aug. 28, more than half of National Grid's customers in Rhode Island had lost power. On , 100 percent of National Grid customers lost power.

“This was an historic event,” said National Grid attorney Thomas Teehan, who spoke on behalf of the utility company before the panel.

Teehan described how roughly 2,400 workers and contractors worked to restore power in Rhode Island, where 76-percent of National Grid's territory was affected. Of those households that lost electricity, 61-percent had power restored within 24 hours and 99.99-percent had power restored within one week, according to Teehan.

Santos was the lone audience member to attend the public comment session in Middletown Thursday night.

Middletown’s scant turnout followed suit with the weak community responses seen at the three other sessions held throughout Rhode Island in recent weeks.

One resident attended the South Kingstown meeting, while four people turned out for the Warwick session at the PUC division headquarters and two attended the session at Pawtucket City Hall on Wednesday night, according to Kevin Lynch, Deputy Administrator of the Division of Public Utilities and Carriers.

“It is sad for important meetings like this that people don’t come out, and they’re the first to complain,” Santos told the panel.

How to submit comments

• All public comment sessions have ended. However the state PUC will continue to accept public comments for the purposes of directing questions to National Grid as it continues its probe into the utility company's preparation and response to Hurricane Irene.
• Comments or complaints can be submitted by calling the PUC office at 401-941-4500 or by submitting them online.
• Continue to follow the case online as the proble continues, referenced as Docket D-11-94.
• For more information, visit www.ripuc.org.