Weekly Question: On a Scale of 1-10, Rate Nstar's Storm Response
We're looking for a number to help us gauge how well Nstar did (is doing) responding to Hurricane Sandy.
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The pain of last year's freak October snowstorm had only just begun to fade for many Weston residents ... and then Hurricane Sandy hit.
In October 2011, thousands of Weston residents sat in the dark (and cold!) for days -- some for as long as a week -- after a late October snowstorm left Nstar scrambling to restore power.
Many residents this year are experiencing deja vu (without the sub-freezing temps) this year after Hurricane Sandy wiped out power lines across Weston.
In the year between the two storms, Nstar received harsh criticism from customers, town officials and even the state Attorney General, who is seeking a nearly $10 million fine against Nstar for its failure "to adequately prepare, respond, and communicate during Tropical Storm Irene and the October 2011 snowstorm."
With Hurricane Sandy, Nstar is once again being tested and we're asking you to assign the grade on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being "A hamster could have restored power more quickly" and 10 being, "Wow, I'm inviting Nstar to my Thanksgiving dinner."
Grade Nstar in the comments section below. We'll take all the grades, average them out and offer our report card next week.
Andie
7:54 am on Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Zero minus.
Brooklyn Lowery
7:58 am on Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Hi Andie, Thanks for leaving your thoughts. Is it safe to assume you were out for a long time? How did it compare to the length of time you were without power during some of the big weather events in 2011?
Andie
8:56 am on Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Good morning to you: We were without power for three days, which is just about the same length of time we were without power during 2011's storm. Surrounding communities had only brief outages and the only thing in our favor was that it wasn't cold. Is it because trees near power lines aren't pruned, or that none of the dead trees are removed? Of course I am I extremely thankful that we were not hit the way NY and NJ were but I just don't get it.
Alex
3:14 pm on Tuesday, November 13, 2012
[3]
My house on Old Rd was without power for three days, roughly the same as last year (or shorter). From my perspective, there wasn't enough information going through the correct channels. NStar needed to get a better idea of when it would be able to get to Weston, and then pass that on to the Weston Police.
By the way, is there any data (numbers) about how long power was out last year? I'd be very interested, thanks!
Brooklyn Lowery
8:30 am on Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Just a quick look through Patch articles from last year's major weather events indicates Sandy was worse than either Irene or the October snow. It looks like Irene was a fairly quick fix around Weston, and the October snowstorm seems to have been worse .... but not Sandy-worse.
Rachel Piper
3:45 pm on Tuesday, November 13, 2012
I just find it hard to judge in a time like that when so many people are without power and the job at hand is gigantic. We were without power for 4 days, ate a lot of sandwiches and built a lot of fires. I, personally was appreciative of the men on Conant Road that Thursday night, out late, away from their families for unending hours, restoring energy for my family and neighbors. 8
Brooklyn Lowery
8:20 am on Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Thanks for the ratings so far, Everyone. I'm going to continue collecting them for a few more days and then put together an "report card."