In the News

Chicago Tribune, September 4, 2007

Dozens of angry suburban residents met with Commonwealth Edison officials Tuesday to complain about what they called slow response times after last month's storms that left thousands of customers without electricity.

Some customers described how they improvised without power for days and watched helplessly as pumps quit working, medical equipment was knocked out and water seeped into their homes.

ComEd officials said they did the best they could, considering the damage was caused by the "worst storm we've seen in a decade."

"Your communication thing stinks," said Lyle Cazel of Glenview, who said his daughter in Des Plaines was without power for 98 hours and his home didn't have service for 16. "You should be ashamed of yourselves the way you do things."

About 75 customers attended the 90-minute meeting, sponsored by state Sen. Susan Garrett (D-Lake Forest) at the Des Plaines Public Library.

ComEd representatives said they reacted as quickly as they could and that weather forecasts didn't adequately prepare them for the magnitude of the storms that left 630,000 customers in the dark.

The Chicago area hasn't seen such a powerful storm since March 1998 when an ice storm left more than 865,000 customers without power, said Fidel Marquez, ComEd vice president of external affairs.

"I think our crews did very well," Marquez said. "Of course there's always room for improvement and that's why we're here today."

As the Aug. 23 storms battered the region, homes and businesses lost power by the thousands and residents began flooding the ComEd help line with questions and requests for help. At least 419,000 calls were received, officials said. The average response time was 45.5 seconds, but some people had a longer wait, adding to customer frustration, said Sally Clair, newly appointed ComEd vice president of customer operations.

That statement stunned some of those on hand Tuesday, as many whispered to each other about how they were on hold for much longer periods.

Mary Fitzpatrick said she panicked when her Des Plaines home lost power during the storm, knocking out the feeding pump and suction machine that her 16-month-old daughter, Fiona, needs to survive. Fiona has a rare medical condition that causes her body to produce large amounts of glycine, an amino acid.

Out of options and batteries, she and her husband, John, ran an extension line from across the street where neighbors had power.

"It was very scary," Fitzpatrick said after the meeting.

Des Plaines Mayor Tony Arredia asked officials what residents and business owners should do as they try to recoup thousands of dollars in storm-related damages. He pointed to a local grocery store that lost more than $100,000 in spoiled food.

ComEd isn't responsible for any damages caused by natural disasters or "acts of God," Clair said. Customers, however, can file claims if they think the company's actions could be blamed. Garrett and state Sen. Dan Kotowski (D-Park Ridge) said they plan to review how law defines an act of God, and at what point the utility company could be considered negligent.

"Because right now, and I don't mean this in a degrading way, but you've washed your hands from us. And we're left with all the extra expense," Garrett said.

ComEd officials asked for suggestions to improve their response to future power outages.

Residents were quick to pepper them with ideas, including providing faster repair service and offering updates via the Internet and automated phone calls.