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LA city councilman wants to investigate DWP wind response
The L.A. Department of Water and Power has won praise for its response to wind storms that knocked out electricity at 200,000 Angelenos’ homes. But many officials are still asking "What happens next?" City councilman Paul Krekorian announced Friday that he would like to investigate whether DWP’s communications system can work any better.
In a meeting of the city council, Krekorian proposed that the municipal utility report back to city officials about its outreach efforts. Specifically, he’s interested in what DWP can do to keep people who don’t have computers or don’t have power in the loop.
“For the most part, the city’s response to the weather emergency has been orderly, swift and appropriate,” Krekorian wrote in his motion. “But the storm provides an opportunity to evaluate the city’s emergency response performance and find ways to improve."
Spokesman Joe Ramallo countered that DWP’s windstorm communications marked improvement over previous incidents. At the same time, Ramallo said he’d be happy to report back to the City Council if it asks.
"The response by our crews to restore power to customers quickly was extraordinary and accomplished without a single injury in a remarkably short period of time," Ramallo said in a statement. "While communication with our customers was significantly better than in past major incidents, we know we can and should do even better in the future."
Water and power officials sent out emails and used social media to update customers about progress in repairing downed lines. The utility also notes that none of its workers suffered injury in the field in the days after heavy winds.
Correction: Paul Krekorian was earlier misidentified as a county supervisor rather than a city councilman.
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