Free Daily Headlines :

  • COVID-19
  • Vaccine Info
  • Money
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Health
  • Justice
  • More
    • Environment
    • Economic Development
    • Gaming
    • Investigations
    • Social Services
    • TRANSPORTATION
  • Opinion
    • CT Viewpoints
    • CT Artpoints
DONATE
Reflecting Connecticut’s Reality.
    COVID-19
    Vaccine Info
    Money
    Politics
    Education
    Health
    Justice
    More
    Environment
    Economic Development
    Gaming
    Investigations
    Social Services
    TRANSPORTATION
    Opinion
    CT Viewpoints
    CT Artpoints

LET�S GET SOCIAL

Show your love for great stories and out standing journalism

Expert: CL&P’s worst-case plan did not look far beyond 100,000 outages

  • by Keith M. Phaneuf
  • December 2, 2011
  • View as "Clean Read" "Exit Clean Read"

Connecticut Light & Power Co. was unprepared for the 809,000 outages it faced after an unprecedented Oct. 29 snowstorm, an independent assessment concluded Friday, noting that CL&P’s “worst-case scenario” plan offered little guidance for outages beyond 100,000 customers.

In a report delivered to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and a state study panel, Witt Associates of Washington, D.C., also concluded that CL&P’s insistence that it could resolve 99 percent of outages by Nov. 6 – while the utility’s internal models showed 100 percent of power being restored by Nov. 9 – exacerbated community frustration with Connecticut’s largest electric utility.

witt photo

Witt Associates Vice President Charles Fisher with Gov. Dannel P. Malloy

CL&P, the state’s largest utility, prepared for disasters with a five-level scale that described a “major” outage as 80,0000 customers losing power for up to 72 hours. The scale did not look beyond an “extreme” event, measured at more than 100,000 outages with an expected duration of more than 72 hours.

An extreme event was expected once every five years, while CL&P had to cope with two in two months: a tropical storm in late August, followed by a record early snow.

Also Friday, Malloy backed slightly off an earlier prediction that the report would uncover  “some level of malfeasance” on CL&P’s part, though the governor said it clearly showed several mistakes and a lack of preparedness on the company’s part.

“CL&P was not prepared for an event of this size,” the report states.

“Preparedness including planning, training and exercise for a widespread power outage and/or infrastructure damage event is inadequate across all sectors,” the report said.

Witt Associates is a public safety and crisis management firm led by former Federal Emergency Management Agency Director James Witt.

CL&P, which serves 1.2 million residences and businesses – about 80 percent of all electric customers in Connecticut – has an emergency response plan that cites a worst case scenario of more than 100,000 outages.

And while the 809,097 outages reported at the peak shortly after the Oct. 29 storm is larger than 100,000, both Charles Fisher, Witt Associates vice president of preparedness operations, and Malloy, said the benchmark number cited was very telling.

“It’s abundantly clear that no one calculated outages in the state of 900,000, but it happened,” Malloy said, referring to peak outages faced in total by CL&P and the state’s other major utility, United Illuminating, after the Oct. 29 storm.

The report said the company “seriously underestimates the potential power outage events that could occur, and for which the company should plan.”

“There are several areas of opportunity identified within the report and we have already started addressing some of them,” Charles W. Shivery, president and CEO of Northeast Utilities, CL&P’s parent company, wrote in a statement released Friday afternoon. “We have named a new senior vice president for emergency preparedness who is meeting with town officials to gather feedback as we focus on the scalability of our resources and communications during restoration. We are quickly working to incorporate this feedback into our emergency response plan.”

The governor had predicted last month, when he introduced Fisher to the Capitol news media, that Witt’s report would find “some level of malfeasance” on CL&P’s part. But he struck a somewhat milder tone Friday.

“It’s also abundantly clear one of the great strains CL&P experienced, at least in the first 48 hours, was how to marshal the resources and then how to control the resources once they were in the field,” Malloy said, adding that the company was guilty of “failing to have appropriately drilled and appropriately planned” for that.

“Maybe I was strong in saying ‘malfeasance,'” he added. “But I think it was a problem at the very least.”

Witt Associates concluded that CL&P’s failure to pre-stage “adequate restoration resources” delayed the recovery effort, but did not estimate by how much.

It also pointed a finger at Northeast Utilities, charging it failed to provide “sufficient executive leadership during this restoration effort,” in part by allowing then-CL&P President Jeffrey Butler to be the sole overseer of restoration efforts as well as primary public spokesperson.

CL&P’s handling of these outages, as well as more than 600,000 caused Aug. 27-28 by Tropical Storm Irene, led to a hail of criticism of the company by Malloy, state legislators, municipal leaders, unions representing power line repair crews and the general public. And Butler had been the face of CL&P in the weeks following both Irene and the Oct. 29 storm, regularly appearing at daily televised press briefings with Malloy at the state armory.

NU announced Butler’s resignation Nov. 17.

Butler’s standing plunged Sunday, Nov. 6, when the company failed to meet its self-imposed deadline for restoring 99 percent of all outages caused by the nor’easter. More than 61,000 residences and businesses, particularly in the Farmington Valley and Tolland County, remained without power early in the morning Monday, Nov. 7, and full power to all wouldn’t be restored until Nov. 9.

“Without vetting internally, the company announced this date  as a public performance commitment,” Witt Associates wrote, noting that an internal company model didn’t have all outages being restored until Nov. 9.

Fisher said it wasn’t a case of deception. “I think that the company thoroughly believed at points that it could achieve that” 99 percent restoration mark by Nov. 6, right up until “close to the very end” when it failed, he said.

The strategy clearly backfired, the report added, when the 99 percent target wasn’t reached in time and “unnecessarily contributed to increased customer frustration and challenges for municipal governments.

“That (finding) does change our perspective” on outage restoration projections, NU spokesman Al Lara said. “It’s one of the many things we are going to be taking a look at.”

This problem was compounded by another weakness in CL&P’s emergency plan: an underdeveloped town liaison program, the report states. Not only was the program not ready to regularly provide accurate information between the company and municipal governments, but CL&P crews and municipal public works staffs use different radio systems for emergency response that are not compatible with each other.

Fisher did note that no lives were lost during the restoration effort on the single-largest power outage in Connecticut history.

Witt Associates also reached some positive conclusions about CL&P’s performance. “That is not as common as you might think,” he said.

Malloy also praised the work of the crews, both CL&P employees and private contractors brought into bolster repair efforts. “They did a great job in bringing out the restoration.”

“We appreciate Witt Associate’s recognition that ‘there were successes’ in this, ‘the largest restoration effort in CL&P’s history’ and that ‘we should not overlook the millions of actions that were performed well,'” Shivery said. “We appreciate their specific recognition of the safety and efficiency of our crews and the timely responses of our customer service representatives. We join Witt in paying tribute to our utility crews and all who contributed to this massive effort.”

Joseph McGee, former state economic development commissioner who is chairman of a study panel Malloy launched to assess public and private sector readiness for major weather events, said, “a lot of what we heard before this panel was re-enforced by this report” from Witt Associates.

McGee’s group, labeled the “Two Storm Panel” because its focus centers on the Oct. 29 snowstorm and Tropical Storm Irene, said it also demonstrates the need for all parties — utilities, municipalities, state government, nonprofit social service groups and others — to expand their thinking.

“Part of what we need to change is basic housekeeping: more tree-trimming, better communication, better training,” McGee said. But Connecticut also must prepare for worse weather events than it has anticipated in the past, he added.

Members of the Two Storm Panel have been instructed to determine what Connecticut needs to do to prepare for even more severe storms, such as the Category 3 hurricane that struck Connecticut in 1938.

The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale, which is used by the National Weather Service to classify hurricanes forming in the Atlantic Ocean or northern Pacific Ocean, ranks categories 1 through 5 in terms of increasing severity. A Category 3 hurricane features winds ranging from 111 to 130 mph with “high risk of injury or death” and “devastating damage” to buildings, other structures and trees.

“But it’s becoming very clear that nobody has been preparing for that,” McGee said.

Among the chief recommendations issued by Witt Associates were for CL&P to improve planning, training and pre-staging practices to better respond to major weather events, Fisher said, adding that the company’s worst-case scenario preparations should target outages that affect at least 50 percent of its 1.2 million customers.

Similarly, the company should expand its management devoted to emergency response, the report states. Fisher praised NU for created a new executive position last month specifically to oversee CL&P’s emergency preparedness.

Another key recommendation in the report had been predicted both by the administration and CL&P: a need to improve communications, including carefully researching outage restoration projections before they are made.

“During a large-scale outage, it can be as important to communicate the restoration plan and progress toward implementation of that plan as it is to restore power itself,” the report states.

CL&P announced last month that it also hired a firm, Davies Consulting Inc., to conduct an external assessment of its emergency response capabilities. Lara, the company spokesman, said Friday that he was unsure when that report would be completed, but added that he expects many of Witt Associates’ findings to be examined by Davies.

Witt Associates agreed to perform the study pro bono, and Fisher estimated that 500 staff hours were devoted to the report.

Sign up for CT Mirror's free daily news summary.

Free to Read. Not Free to Produce.

The Connecticut Mirror is a nonprofit newsroom. 90% of our revenue comes from people like you. If you value our reporting please consider making a donation. You'll enjoy reading CT Mirror even more knowing you helped make it happen.

YES, I'LL DONATE TODAY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Keith M. Phaneuf

SEE WHAT READERS SAID

RELATED STORIES
From UHart faculty: All Hawks deserve our support
by Amanda Freeman, Katharine Owens and Rachel Walker

Last week college sports fans in Connecticut were roiled by some startling news. The University of Hartford has been privately considering a move from NCAA Division I to Division III. Grappling with the financial implications of the COVID-19 pandemic, the University commissioned a “feasibility study” from the consulting company CarrSports. The confidential report concluded that the “current Division I-funding model is not viable and cannot achieve the goal of becoming more self-sustaining.”

Lessons learned: Education is not enough to combat anti-vaccine propaganda
by Kerri M. Raissian and Jody Terranova

The Connecticut House of Representatives just passed legislation to end the religious exemption for the school vaccination requirement ( HB6423).  The Connecticut state Senate must act quickly to do the same.  If passed, Connecticut would require medically able school children to receive vaccines as recommended by the CDC.

Biden ought not overuse the term ‘infrastructure’
by Eric W. Kuhn

President Joe Biden's redefinition of the word "bipartisan" is wise, even necessary. Measures that have majority support among regular folks throughout the country-- say, universal background checks for firearms purchases-- have "bipartisan" support because lots of citizens of both major parties approve: that makes sense.

Please let restaurants and bars recover from the pandemic. Oppose HB 6502
by Robert D’Eliseo and Don Mancini

For the first time in almost a year, we can see a light at the end of the tunnel of the COVID-19 pandemic. But that does not mean we are out of the tunnel yet – and these coming months will be critical for the recovery. That is why this is not the time for the Connecticut General Assembly to push the polystyrene ban (HB 6502) they seem on track toward passing.

Bills to repeal motor vehicle tax and cap property taxes are in political limbo
by Keith M. Phaneuf

The motor vehicle tax bill died in committee but could be revived; Property tax cap passed on party lines.

Support Our Work

Show your love for great stories and outstanding journalism.

$
Select One
  • Monthly
  • Yearly
  • Once
Artpoint painter
CT ViewpointsCT Artpoints
Opinion From UHart faculty: All Hawks deserve our support
by Amanda Freeman, Katharine Owens and Rachel Walker

Last week college sports fans in Connecticut were roiled by some startling news. The University of Hartford has been privately considering a move from NCAA Division I to Division III. Grappling with the financial implications of the COVID-19 pandemic, the University commissioned a “feasibility study” from the consulting company CarrSports. The confidential report concluded that the “current Division I-funding model is not viable and cannot achieve the goal of becoming more self-sustaining.”

Opinion Lessons learned: Education is not enough to combat anti-vaccine propaganda
by Kerri M. Raissian and Jody Terranova

The Connecticut House of Representatives just passed legislation to end the religious exemption for the school vaccination requirement ( HB6423).  The Connecticut state Senate must act quickly to do the same.  If passed, Connecticut would require medically able school children to receive vaccines as recommended by the CDC.

Opinion Biden ought not overuse the term ‘infrastructure’
by Eric W. Kuhn

President Joe Biden's redefinition of the word "bipartisan" is wise, even necessary. Measures that have majority support among regular folks throughout the country-- say, universal background checks for firearms purchases-- have "bipartisan" support because lots of citizens of both major parties approve: that makes sense.

Opinion Please let restaurants and bars recover from the pandemic. Oppose HB 6502
by Robert D’Eliseo and Don Mancini

For the first time in almost a year, we can see a light at the end of the tunnel of the COVID-19 pandemic. But that does not mean we are out of the tunnel yet – and these coming months will be critical for the recovery. That is why this is not the time for the Connecticut General Assembly to push the polystyrene ban (HB 6502) they seem on track toward passing.

Artwork Grand guidance
by Anne:Gogh

In a world of systemic oppression aimed towards those of darker skintones – representation matters. We are more than our equity elusive environments, more than […]

Artwork Shea
by Anthony Valentine

Shea is a story about race and social inequalities that plague America. It is a narrative that prompts the question, “Do you know what it’s […]

Artwork The Declaration of Human Rights
by Andres Chaparro

Through my artwork I strive to create an example of ideas that reflect my desire to raise social consciousness, and cultural awareness. Jazz music is […]

Artwork ‘A thing of beauty. Destroy it forever’
by Richard DiCarlo | Derby

During times like these it’s often fun to revisit something familiar and approach things with a different slant. I have been taking some Pop culture […]

Twitter Feed
A Twitter List by CTMirror

Engage

  • Reflections Tickets & Sponsorships
  • Events
  • Donate
  • Newsletter Sign-Up
  • Submit to Viewpoints
  • Submit to ArtPoints
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Commenting Guidelines
  • Legal Notices
  • Contact Us

About

  • About CT Mirror
  • Announcements
  • Board
  • Staff
  • Sponsors and Funders
  • Donors
  • Friends of CT Mirror
  • History
  • Financial
  • Policies
  • Strategic Plan

Opportunity

  • Advertising and Sponsorship
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Use of Photography
  • Work for Us

Go Deeper

  • Steady Habits Podcast
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Five Things

The Connecticut News Project, Inc. 1049 Asylum Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105. Phone: 860-218-6380

© Copyright 2021, The Connecticut News Project. All Rights Reserved. Website by Web Publisher PRO