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Mixed Reviews Offered Over National Grid's October Storm Response

Three days after the storm, thousands of Rhode Islanders were still without power and Gov. Gina Raimondo called for an investigation into the utility's response.

(TNS) - The R.I. Division of Public Utilities and Carriers took comments Tuesday on the performance of National Grid after a late October storm that downed trees and power lines in many parts of the state, knocking out power to more than 150,000 Rhode Islanders.

Three days after the storm, thousands of Rhode Islanders were still without power and Gov. Gina Raimondo called for an investigation into the utility's response. That set the stage for Tuesday's hearing, which drew about 30 people.

Among them was Gina Murray, of Johnston, who asserted that a contractor hired by National Grid bungled the job of reconnecting a downed line at her house. The resulting power surges, said Murray, were like a "poltergeist" that caused $7,000 in damage to appliances, boilers and other items.

The utility's response to the faulty service was so bad that she is going through her insurer to repair the damage, Murray said, adding that her ordeal does not jive with the utility's advertising.

"You are not here with me or there for me," Murray said.

Murray's take on the National Grid slogan was among the edgier comments made during the brief hearing. The session mixed a smattering of comments from residents with a string of comments from city and town managers, who often credited the utility with keeping them informed as it restored power.

State Rep. Aaron Regunberg, D-Providence, said he had noticed a big increase in National Grid's advertising since the storm, and asserted that the ads seem to provide greater public relations value for the utility while giving short shrift to energy-efficiency themes.

He said he's concerned that "our energy efficiency dollars" are being used for a public relations campaign for the utility.

After the hearing, a National Grid spokesman, Ted Kresse, called Regunberg's comments "completely false" and said the advertisements were scheduled months before the storm.

At the outset of the hearing, a National Grid lawyer, Robert Humm, said the utility is "committed to addressing public safety concerns and minimizing the amount of time that customers experience outages."

Following the wind and heavy rain of Oct. 29-30, Humm said utility employees, contractors and others replaced about 170 utility poles and 3 miles of wire. They responded to more than 1,000 emergency 911 calls and 5,000 reports of downed wires, he said.

Providence's Emergency Management Agency Director Kevin Kugel said National Grid provided "excellent customer service" in the form of helpful and timely communication following the storm.

Warwick Fire Chief James McLaughlin also gave National Grid high marks.

"Everything went very well from our perspective, from a public safety point of view in the city," McLaughlin said.

Foster's public works director, Robert Clarkin, said National Grid's response plan for his town is "unacceptable." He rejected the position that the storm was a historic event.

A deputy administrator for the Public Utilities division, Kevin Lynch, is in charge of the investigation.

A spokesman for the division, Thomas Kogut, said it's unclear exactly how soon the division will compile its investigative findings and report them.

— mreynold@providencejournal.com

(401) 277-7490

On Twitter: @mrkrynlds

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©2017 The Providence Journal (Providence, R.I.)

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