by Timothy Rutt
On Monday, the state Public Utilities Commission issued a report on Southern California Edison's preparation and response to the Big Wind of 2011, and not surprisingly found them deficient in preparation and planning, and chided them for destroying evidence as the PUC was investigating.
Our content partners at the Pasadena Sun have been all over this one:
1. State commission takes SoCal Edison to task
A report issued by the California Public Utilities Commission on Monday found that some power poles maintained by Southern California Edison were faulty and too weak to withstand the gale-force winds that struck the San Gabriel Valley region in 2011, leaving thousands of people without power for days.
The commission’s Consumer Protection and Safety Division found that at least 21 downed poles and 17 wire supports jointly operated by Edison and various telecommunications companies did not meet safety requirements.
2. State investigators: SoCal Edison failed to preserve fallen poles for windstorm investigation
A state probe into 2011 windstorm-related power outages in the San Gabriel Valley was unable to determine whether many toppled utility poles had met safety standards becauseSouthern California Edison destroyed most of them before they could be inspected, according to investigators.
A report released Monday by the California Public Utilities Commission found that at least 21 poles were unstable due to termite, dry rot or other damage before falling over during gusts of up to 120 miles per hour on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.
But more than 75% of the 248 Edison poles that toppled over were destroyed by the utility before they could be inspected, a violation of commission rules that govern utilities.
“At the onset of [power] restoration efforts, preservation of failed poles was not made a priority by Southern California Edison,” the report states.
3. Local lawmakers chide SoCal Edison over state probe into 2011 windstorm response
Local lawmakers on Monday took Southern California Edisont o task after a state probe into the widespread power outages caused by a furious 2011 windstorm showed investigators were unable to determine whether toppled poles met safety standards because the utility destroyed most of them before they could be inspected.
