Criticism following Atlantic City Electric's handling of the June macroburst storm has made the company reevaluate its communication efforts.
Hurricane Joaquin is still making its way across the Atlantic but New Jersey officials and utility companies have already begun preparing for its potential onslaught on the Garden State.
In this handout from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Hurricane Joaquin is seen chruning in the Caribbean September 30, 2015. Joaquin was upgraded to a category 1 hurricane early on September 30. The exact track has yet to be determined, but there is a possibity of landfall in the U.S. anywhere from North Carolina to the Northeast. (NOAA via Getty Images) The storm is expected to bring heavy rainfall and strong winds to New Jersey, potentially cutting off electric service to millions of customers.
Atlantic City Electric, which serves a majority of the southern portion of the state, is preparing for this possibility by putting restoration crews on standby, including both their regular employees and line contractors and tree crews.
The company received sharp criticism over how it reacted to the last major storm to hit the South Jersey area.
A June macroburst storm downed trees and power lines across the region, leaving some without power for more than a week.
Local elected officials criticized Atlantic City Electric's response to that incident, saying the company failed to get service restored in a timely manner and failed to keep them informed of what was happening.
In response, ACE has sent a letter to all of its customers, signed by Vincent Maione, its regional president, as Joaquin approaches, detailing how they will handle this storm differently.
"We regret that after the last storm our communications efforts did not meet your expectations and, quite candidly, they did not meet ours," the letter reads.
ACE has created several new enhancements of its company's processes, emphasizing its communications and field operations, including providing public officials with an early assessment of storm damage and initial estimates for power restoration, continued, frequent communication updates, earlier media briefings and upgrading its mobile app for customers to more easily receive messages or alerts.
RELATED: Day 3 in the dark: Power company moves up restoration timeline
Greenwich Township Mayor George Shivery was one of the most outspoken critics of ACE after the June storm. His town was ravaged by the winds that day, trees were felled and power was out for a majority of the township, but his biggest problem was that ACE had failed to keep him and his residents informed about their procedures following the storm or a timeline on when their power may be restored.
He spoke to a representative from the company Wednesday, however, and is hopeful that the June event and its consequences have changed ACE's way of handling things.
"It sounds like they've learned from their mistakes," Shivery said. "All the mayors are sitting here with their fingers crossed."
In addition to changing its communication strategies, ACE is also stressing that its customers be prepared for potential outages. While they will continue to work to restore any that do occur, they have to take the safety of their linemen into consideration first.
"High winds can bring tree limbs into contact with power lines causing power outages. We will work around the clock to restore any outages that may occur, however for the safety of the overhead line personnel, if sustained winds reach 35 mph, work that requires raising a bucket/arm boom will be interrupted until it is safe for the crew to continue," Frank Tedesco, spokesman for ACE, wrote in a release Wednesday evening.
Individuals are urged to stay away from downed power lines and report any they may see by calling 1-800-833-7476 or online at www.AtlanticCityElectric.com.
Rebecca Forand may be reached at rforand@southjerseymedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @RebeccaForand. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.
