PA To Review Response To Devastating Pittsburgh-Area Storms

PITTSBURGH, PA — The state is beginning a comprehensive review of the devastating April 29 storms that swept across Southwestern Pennsylvania, cutting electric service to more than 500,000 electricity customers and causing widespread damage to utility infrastructure.

The Public Utilities Commission announced Friday it will examine how utilities responded to the extraordinary weather event, assess the impact of the storm on infrastructure and operations, and identify opportunities to improve planning and resilience for future storms.

“This was not a routine weather event,” PUC Chairman Steve DeFrank said in a statement. “The intensity and scale of the damage – impacting electric systems, roads, communications networks, and other infrastructure – demand a closer look. As we continue to recover, we also need to understand what happened, what worked, what didn’t, and what can be done better moving forward.”

The commission's review will explore storm-related issues involving Duquesne Light and FirstEnergy utilities, which were among the hardest-hit during the storm. The effort will include:

• A detailed look at outage causes, such as broken poles, downed wires, tree-related damage, and off-right-of-way hazards.
• A review of how utility emergency response plans performed – including use of mutual aid, deployment of restoration crews, and public communications.
• Recommendations for steps that utilities, communities, residents, and businesses can take to better prepare for future extreme weather.

At the height of the storm, more than 557,000 electricity customers were without service. Though service has been mostly restored since then, the utilities involved have noted that post-storm cleanup and related fieldwork will be required in the days and weeks ahead.

According to commission records, Duquesne Light has not experienced storm-related outages of that magnitude since at least 1993.