Council President Addresses Storm Preps

Montgomery County Council President Roger Berliner made the following statement on Oct. 29 regarding the potential impact of Hurricane Sandy and the preparations the county and Pepco are taking.

Statement of Council President Berliner:

After conferring with our County’s CAO, I feel confident that our County has prepared as well as we can for this storm. It will intensify as the day goes on, peaking this evening, and staying for a day plus. The sustained winds and wet ground will undoubtedly result in extensive tree damage.

Of course, power is the key and the most vulnerable. I have communicated directly with the Chairman of the Public Service Commission, and he made it clear that they took full advantage of the lead time to prepare and press Pepco and the other utilities to do the same.

I have spoken with Pepco’s Regional President Thomas Graham and they feel that they have done everything they can do to prepare as well, starting last Wednesday. The utilities throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast that are expected to feel the effects of the storm have requested 15,000 more help through the “mutual assistance” process than exists, so Pepco will not be getting near its requested level of manpower. They currently have or will soon have approximately 2,000 plus hands on deck. Given the sustained level of winds, it could be more than a day and a half before crews can really even begin to restore power in neighborhoods.

I told Mr. Graham that I was rooting for them — we need them to be at their very best, including communications.

Our Council joins with so many others in urging everyone to be extra careful, take care of your families, look in on your neighbors, and . . . cross your fingers.

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