ComEd Representative Says Residents "Unlikely" to be Reimbursed for Losses

It's never easy to get up in front of a room of people to speak. But it has to be even harder when you're a representative of ComEd, and you're at a village board meeting to answer questions about the recent power outages.

Although resident's frustration over recent and prolonged power outages was evident at the June 26 board of trustees meeting in La Grange Park, residents were largely understanding—and they told ComEd so.

"I think everyone here is very reasonable," said La Grange Park resident Mary LaBlanc. "I think we understand, 'storm of the century.'"

However, LaBlanc continued, she and her neighbors feel they've been losing power more often than just after storms.

"You guys are posting record profits," LaBlanc said. "Spend some money on some equiptment."

Like they would tell several residents on Tuesday night, ComEd representatives asked for her contact information and said they would look into her specific situation. 

External Affairs Manager Fabiola Amezcua told residents through a presentation that the storms in June and July were some of the worst that they had seen. Over 30 miles of wire needed to be replaced after the July storm, she told the crowd. 

To questions of why it took ComEd crews so long to restore power to La Grange Park, Amezcua responded that due to the large amount of damage, crews were called in from out of state, but it took time for those workers to arrive in the area—some coming from as far as Alabama.

Overall, residents were mostly told to give their information to ComEd representatives and that someone from the company would follow up.

In particular, ComEd said residents should call if they continue to have problems with power, or if lights are continually flickering, as one resident complained.  

When asked if ComEd would be reimbursing residents for lost food, or broken appliances due to the storm, the company's representatives said it was unlikely. For losses caused by storms, ComEd does not reimburse residents, they said.

"We are trying to be upfront with you," one ComEd representative said.

However, if a resident believes that their fridge or freezer was broken due to a mistake by ComEd, residents can fill out a claims form that they company will consider. 

If you'd like to fill out a claim form, click here, to go to the form on ComEd's website.