LATEST PSE&G RESTORATION UPDATE

Not even sure what to believe from these guys anymore, although kudos for anything positive they do.

PSE&G Service Restoration Update – Wednesday, November 7, 2012 at 6:30 a.m

• Outages: The number of outages is now 190,400, with power restored to about 89 percent of customers affected by the hurricane.
• PSE&G expects to continue to restore customers still impacted by Hurricane Sandy even though we are expecting a coastal storm beginning later today.  While work may continue in the rain, federal safety rules prevent line crews from working in bucket trucks when winds are greater than 40 mph. Crews will resume work when it is safe to do so. There are more than 4,000 out-of-state workers in addition to 700 PSE&G technicians working to restore power.
• When repairing damaged lines in an area, we may need to take a line out of service temporarily for safety reasons. Power will be restored as soon as it is safe to do so. We ask for customers’ understanding when this occurs.
• Customers may see a variety of vehicles at various damage locations. These trucks are staffed with standby personnel, gas workers, meter readers, and support people who are assisting the restoration effort by keeping the public away from downed wires and other electrical equipment while line crews are making repairs at other locations.
• There currently is no shortage of materials. However, this is an incredible restoration job so we continue to seek materials so we can be covered in case the damage in some areas turns out to be greater than anticipated. FEMA has offered to get materials for us and we will take advantage of that offer.
• Crews are working 16-hour days, with mandated rest periods and meal breaks.
• We have brought four additional substations back in operation in the last 24 hours, restoring power to roughly 17,000 customers in the Bayonne area.  We have one substation left out of service (also in Bayonne) and hope to have it back in service today.  This will complete the most extensive substation restoration project in the company’s history.  We are extremely grateful to the more than 100 out-of-state substation experts who traveled here from around the nation to help with these efforts.  We continue to work to restore distribution lines that were impacted by the storm surge. 
• PSE&G has secured an additional 600 line workers who are being redirected from Pennsylvania, bringing the total to more than 4,600 workers on the ground helping restore power to our customers. 
• PSE&G is also extremely appreciative of the outpouring of support for our injured lineman who continues to make progress toward recovery.  Crews from out-of-state passed the hat and collected several thousand dollars to support his family – this was a spontaneous and heartfelt action by people working 16 hours a day far from home.  It has deeply touched our company. 
• In another example of the out-of-state workers going beyond just restoring power, three workers (Clay Maxley, Sr, Warren Simmons, Kenneth Simmons – a father and son team) from On Power Energy (a Punta Gorda, FLcompany) spotted smoke coming from a house.  They banged on the door, warning two teenage boys to leave the house with their dog moments before fire ripped through the house.  
• Since the start of the storm, PSE&G call centers have handled more than 1.9 million calls (more than 12 times the normal volume).  We have suspended non-emergency work so that more workers are available to respond to customer calls.