HURRICANE SANDY October 2012

HURRICANE

SANDY

HURRICANE SANDY 2012:

Advance Preparation Keys Rapid Restoration

Only three days after Hurricane Sandy caused widespread damage across New Hampshire on October 29, 2012, PSNH completed its restoration efforts to all customers, except for a handful of isolated situations, by midnight on Thursday, November 1.

While the impact of Hurricane Sandy resulted in the fourth highest number of outages in PSNH's 86-year history, yet again among New England utilities that had more than 100,000 customers without power, PSNH was the first to restore power to its affected customers. At the peak of the storm, about 137,000 customers were without power, surpassing the peak of 125,000 from Tropical Storm Irene.

The key to success was advance preparation as PSNH and the Northeast Utilities (NU) team of companies began rolling out preliminary restoration strategies 72 hours before the storm began. Those preparations included:

• Soliciting and securing out-of-region mutual aid resources; • Placing PSNH and contractor crews on storm alert; • An enlarged and comprehensive community relations

outreach to municipalities and emergency responders; • Enhanced interactive use of social media tools like Facebook

and Twitter to alert customers to the coming storm’s dangers, and how to both safely prepare for the storm and quickly report a power outage should it occur.

Overall, Hurricane Sandy knocked out power to more than 8 million electric customers from Maryland to Maine, meaning that initial mutual aid resources were at a premium. Therefore, the bulk of the initial restoration effort once again rested on the skill and efficiency of storm-tested PSNH crews and support staff—more than 100 PSNH and local

contractor line crews, 100 tree trimming crews already in place, and 70 service crews focused on reconnecting individual homes.

By the second day of restoration, the PSNH-led effort received a critical boost with the arrival of the first wave of 50 crews from Hydro Québec—a number that grew to 75 on Thursday and helped shave considerable time off of the projected estimates for restoration to affected customers. With the power back on in New Hampshire 72 hours after the height of the storm, PSNH was able to provide mutual aid of its own by sending 42 of its crews to assist in restoration efforts in hard-hit Connecticut and later, 15 crews to assist in New Jersey.

This report presents a detailed overview of PSNH’s preparation for Sandy, how another record-setting restoration effort was achieved, and the vital importance, yet great uncertainty from storm to storm, of mutual aid resources.

Our deepest thanks and gratitude go to all who helped PSNH achieve another quick and safe power restoration under trying circumstances, and to our customers for their ongoing spirit of cooperation, encouragement, and selfless good-neighborliness

Introduction

Introduction

"Thanks to the hard work of all the crews and support personnel, as well as the cooperation of communities, we were able to restore power to customers impacted by Hurricane Sandy in record time. This restoration was completed in less time than our work after Storm Irene in 2011, despite having more damage across our system."

Gary Long PSNH President

October 29, 2012

Strongest Recorded Wind Gust

(excluding Mt. Washington) 76 MPH, Isle of Shoals Percent of State Without Power at Peak About 27%

Number of Utility Customers Without Power

at Peak, Statewide 200,000+ PSNH Customers Without Power at Peak 137,000 Number of PSNH Circuits Out at Peak 41 Total Number of Crews Restoring Power

to PSNH Customers 509

PSNH Customer Calls 109,364 in 3 days Average Time to Reach a PSNH

Call Center Representative 18 seconds

Miles of Power Cabling Restrung 22 (The distance between Milford and Londonderry) Damaged Utility Poles Replaced 161

Splices Replaced 4,235

Fuses Installed 3,132

Transformers Replaced 299

Duration of Restoration Effort 99.9% customers restored in 3 days Estimated Cost of Restoration Effort $12 million

Hurricane Sandy Stats

Peak Outage Map

Consistent with previous major storm preparations, all PSNH

employees, regardless of job function, were readied for storm

duty well in advance of Hurricane Sandy. By Thursday

morning, October 25 — four days in advance of storm — a

proven restoration plan was in place and then implemented as

soon as the storm arrived:

Friday, October 26

• All Northeast Utilities (NU) operating companies convene for first storm preparation meeting

• With regional resources already committed to East Coast impact, following nationwide mutual aid calls made on Thursday, PSNH secures earliest-ever commitment for additional resources; crews en route from southern states

• Tree crews are positioned and ready to respond; service crews and meter readers readied for Monday morning deployment; retirees summoned for assistance

• Outage readiness alerts and emails sent to customers, focusing on refrigerated medications, use of generators, stocking up on water, how to stay safe, and how to report an outage

• Inventory of restoration materials across PSNH and NU are checked and in good supply

• Information Technology systems and critical infrastructure are monitored and put on highest priority

Saturday, October 27

• A recorded phone message was sent to all PSNH customers about the approaching storm, how to prepare and stay safe, and how to report an outage

Sunday, October 28

• ISO-New England implements its abnormal condition alert procedure, which informs power system operations, maintenance, construction and test personnel when conditions may affect the reliability of the regional power system. PSNH and NU took immediate precautions so that routine maintenance, construction or test activities on its infrastructure would not further jeopardize the reliability of the power system

Monday, October 29

• PSNH Emergency Operations Center opens at 6 a.m., before first effects of Sandy hit New Hampshire • Outage map/town listing on web site activated and continually updated

• Enhanced community relations outreach to communities and first responders continues, identifying critical needs and priorities, and providing regular updates on the restoration

• Updates on restoration effort provided to state media outlets three times a day • Real-time interaction with customers provided via Twitter and PSNH’s Facebook page • Additional service crews stationed and ready for deployment

• PSNH retirees contacted to help assist with the restoration effort

• Ongoing cutting and clearing of many closed or blocked roads throughout the state

• Detailed damage assessors in the field begin pinpointing conditions for more efficient response

Preparation and Restoration

“Coming together as a team…

helping to achieve our goals.”

It’s one thing to have core

values—it’s another to be able

to walk them out effectively.

With the Hurricane Sandy

restoration, PSNH and the other

Northeast Utilities companies

pooled creative ideas and

proven practices for a unified

strategy. For PSNH, it resulted

in one of its most efficient

restorations in history.

Tuesday, October 30

• 297 crews tackle PSNH restoration effort, affecting 137,000 customers at peak

• Cutting and clearing of roads concludes, with reports of many downed wires, uprooted trees, fallen branches • Phone call and email campaign across PSNH and all of NU provides guidance for customers with medical conditions,

and an update on damage assessment and the state of the restoration effort • Helicopter fly-over damage assessment of remote transmission lines begins

Wednesday, October 31

• Crews from Hydro Québec begin to arrive in New Hampshire to assist restoration efforts; 327 crews are now in the field in New Hampshire

• Helicopter fly-overs continue to check for possible damage on remote transmission lines • As areas of the state are restored, PSNH crews are redeployed to hardest-hit communities • Media relations team begins providing preliminary timetable for estimated restoration completion

Thursday, November 1

• 250 line crews still on the system make quick work of remaining trouble spots

• By midnight, PSNH declares that, with the exception of isolated cases, power has been restored to all customers impacted by Sandy; PSNH’s Emergency Operations Center closes

• 42 PSNH crews redeployed to assist NU team effort in Connecticut beginning Friday morning

A Year-Round

Tree Trimming Strategy

More than 90 percent of all power outages during a storm with high winds or heavy snow are caused by trees. Vegetation management conducted by PSNH and its contractors during 2012 helped substantially reduce tree-related outages once Hurricane Sandy hit New Hampshire:

• By October, 2,100 miles of trees out of 2,500 miles scheduled by the end of the year had been trimmed— three months ahead of schedule.

• 5,000 hazard trees (due to age, size, health, and proximity to wires) were removed through early October, on track for 8,500 by year's end.

• $2 million has been devoted to "full width easement clearing," part of a NH Public Utilities Commission-supported reliability enhancement program to improve clearance in PSNH rights-of-way. This Enhanced Tree Trimming program targets major transmission and distribution lines that bring power to large numbers of customers.

• PSNH spends $14 million a year for tree trimming (or, about $0.002 per kwh).

“Your ability to restore our power after various natural disasters has been impressive. We recognize how hazardous the occupation is, and we thank you for your efforts.”

For millions of residents along the East Coast, Hurricane Sandy was an epic disaster, but the storm’s last-minute inland hook toward southern New Jersey spared New Hampshire from the brunt of its impact. Nevertheless, with 137,000 customers without power at peak, Hurricane Sandy ranks as the fourth largest storm restoration effort in PSNH history, with all five of the largest-ever restorations occurring since 2008.

“Overall Hurricane Sandy delivered more damage to our system than Irene did a year ago, but this restoration was completed in less time.”—Gary Long, PSNH President

Monday, October 29

Scattered outages were reported throughout the state when PSNH opened its Emergency Operations Center early in the morning on Monday, October 29. With the full force of Sandy beginning to impact New Hampshire that afternoon, PSNH crews began responding to more than 32,000 customers who were without power by 4 p.m. By 8:30 p.m., the high winds from Sandy elevated that number to 112,000, and by midnight, the number reached its peak of 137,000—about 26 percent of the company’s total customer base. Hardest hit areas were communities along and near the southern I-93 corridor, as well as portions of the Monadnock Region and greater Seacoast. But the storm’s wide impact also caused outages in far northern Coös County.

Tuesday, October 30

With mutual aid resources at a premium up and down the East Coast, only 85 of 400 crews requested by PSNH three days before the storm were available. But the restoration effort was aided by the arrival of crews from as far away as Texas who joined 100 PSNH and local contractor crews and 100 tree-trimming crews already in the field. As weather conditions began to improve, the emphasis was on detailed damage assessment for more efficient mobilization of crews, clearing of hundreds of roads littered with branches, fallen trees, and downed wires, as well as prioritizing power restoration to critical public buildings, such as health care facilities, schools,

Fourth Largest Restoration

in PSNH History

“…Excellence in planning,

team-work, and execution.” It’s one of

the ways PSNH and the Northeast

Utilities member companies define

success, and with the Sandy

restoration effort, success meant

PSNH customers got their power

back faster than in previous storms.

Types of Crews Assisting

Bucket

296

Tree

115

Service

70

Digger

25

Off-Road

10

U.S. assistance came from: Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, and Texas; From Canada: Nova Scotia and Québec.

shelters, and water treatment facilities. By day’s end, crews had reduced the number of customers without power to 93,000. Late that night, a rare late-season microburst from the after-effects of Sandy caused considerable damage to sections of Franklin and Hebron, compounding the restoration efforts in those

communities. By midnight, the overall number had been reduced by another 13,000, with crews working through the night to restore power.

Wednesday, October 31

By dawn, the PSNH-led restoration effort had reduced the number of those without power to 56,000. Bolstered by the assistance of 75 crews from Northeast Utilities’ partner Hydro Québec, PSNH announced the restoration effort should be substantially complete by no later than Friday evening, November 2. By 5 p.m., the number without power had dropped to 33,000, and by midnight, it was down to 21,500.

Thursday, November 1

With the restoration complete in PSNH’s northern work areas, crews were redeployed to the hardest hit areas of the state and again worked through the night to reduce the number of customers without power to 12,000.

By noon, PSNH projected that, except for isolated cases, all customers would have power fully restored by midnight—nearly 24 hours earlier than first hoped.

By 4 p.m., 99 percent of all PSNH customers had power restored, with about 2,500 still to be addressed in pockets of the hardest hit communities. By midnight, the restoration was declared complete, the PSNH Emergency Operations Center was closed, and 42 crews were prepared for mutual aid assistance in Connecticut.

Impact on the New England Electric System

• Approximately 1.3 million customers without power at peak* • More than 50 high-voltage transmission lines affected*

• More than 4,000 megawatts of power generation affected (due to power plants reducing power or shutting down because of flood or storm surge risk, and transmission/distribution line outages)*

• More homes and businesses along the East Coast lost power as a result of Sandy than from any other storm in history**

* Source: ISO-New England ** Source: Edison Electric Institute

140,000 Monday October 29 Tuesday October 30 Wednesday October 31 Thursday November 1 Friday November 2 120,000 100,000 80,000 60,000 40,000 20,000 137,070 21,697 187 0 79,603

Restoration Graph

Perhaps the biggest question PSNH gets during any major restoration effort is the manner in which power is restored, and why some neighbors can have power while others across the street do not. The answer is complex, because the electric power grid around any given community can be compared to a giant circulatory system with thousands of arteries and veins that have different functions, but are very much interconnected. Electric power lines (“veins”) are added to the system over the years to accommodate growing communities and businesses, and while the “artery” in which they receive that power may be completely different from the one across the street, they ultimately connect to the same main power source.

• When a repair crew drives by a darkened home during an outage but doesn’t stop, it doesn’t mean that it has been over-looked. Rather, it is likely that PSNH crews are assessing outages further down the “artery” that may be affecting the “vein” leading to the affected home. Simply put, power circuits do not always follow streets or area geography. • After clearing roads and making them safe for the public and crews, PSNH gives priority to hospitals, fire, police and

safety facilities, and elderly care facilities. Thereafter, PSNH repairs damage based on restoring power to the greatest number of customers in the shortest period of time.

• When widespread damage occurs, it is impossible to restore power to everyone at the same time. During severe weather conditions, there could be numerous breaks or outages between the substation (source of electrical power) and a home or business. That means that repairs must be completed sequentially—beginning at the substation and ending at the home or business.

How We Restore Power

Individual Homes

If a home still remains without power, the service line between a transformer and the residence may need to be repaired.

Tap Lines

If local outages persist, supply lines, called tap lines, are inspected. These lines deliver power to transformers, either mounted on poles or placed on pads for underground service, outside businesses, schools, and homes.

Main Distribution Lines

If the problem cannot be isolated at a distribution substation, distribution lines are checked. These lines carry power to large groups of customers in entire communities or neighborhoods.

* Source: National Rural Electric Cooperative Association

PSNH is not always aware when the power is out at a specific home or business. A call to PSNH will help line crews more quickly and efficiently isolate the trouble spot.

Distribution Substation

Each substation serves hundreds or thousands of customers. When a major outage occurs, line crews inspect substations to determine if problems stem from transmission lines feeding into the substation, the substation itself, or if problems exist down the line.

High-Voltage Transmission Lines

Transmission towers and cables that supply power to transmission substations (and thousands of customers) rarely fail. But when damage occurs, these facilities must be repaired before other parts of the system can operate.

COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA

RELATIONS: A Multi-Faceted Approach

During the height of the restoration effort, PSNH’s Media Relations personnel provided updates three times a day to the media and public on the company’s website, and were featured resources for radio and television updates by state and regional media outlets. With an eye continually on public and employee safety, each media update included reminders ranging from proper use of generators to wires-down awareness.

In addition, PSNH helped customers and communities stay informed by: • Producing five on-the-scene restoration video updates that were

posted on YouTube

• Providing links to PSNH informational videos on power restoration methods and safe generator use

• Uploading dozens of restoration photos to the website Flickr “Thank you and your teams for the outstanding delivery of information during all phases of the storm. Although we currently do not have power, the increase in communication has made the situation more tolerable—we have a better understanding of the magnitude of the issues, and all the efforts you are providing your customers.”

—Tony Wild, Somersworth

SOCIAL MEDIA: The Fastest Growing Means

of Communication

In ever-increasing numbers, PSNH customers are turning to social media applications, such as Twitter

and Facebook, to not only get the most current restoration information but to interact with Media Relations and Call Center employees who often can provide “instant” answers or guidance to common questions.

From the days preceding Sandy’s arrival until the final day customers were restored:

• PSNH Twitter “followers” increased 13%, to more than 13,200— nearly double the amount of followers during Tropical Storm Irene a year ago.

• The PSNH Facebook page gained nearly 1,100 new fans, with comments, “likes” and sharing soaring to 5,061 during the storm.

The Commitment To Our Customers

“Superior customer and community

service.” This core value of

Northeast Utilities takes on

heightened importance during any

storm restoration. As a member

company, PSNH was part of an

integrated and comprehensive

customer service strategy during

and following Hurricane Sandy,

taking full advantage of both

traditional and state-of-the-art

means of communication to better

inform and interact with our

customers and communities.

@psnh Once again your public communications through social media have been an example for all other utilities to strive to meet. #Thanks

—via Twitter

Sandy Social Media Impact

October 26 - November 1, 2012

Twitter

PSNH Tweets 274 Number of New Followers 1,480, up 13% Total Followers (as of 11/1) 13,296

Facebook

Fan Comments/Likes/Shares 5,061 Number of New Fans 1,064, up 14% Total Fans (as of 11/1) 8,570

YouTube

Videos Posted 5 Total Views (as of 11/9) 820

Flickr

COMMUNITY OUTREACH:

An Enhanced Presence

Northeast Utilities’ strategy for increased emphasis on personal communication with communities and municipal officials during times of crisis meant that five additional community relations specialists and their liaisons were in place before Sandy struck. (Previously, three regional Community Relations Managers and municipal liaisons were assigned to work with local town officials in the hardest hit communities.) They

deployed to area work centers over the weekend as soon as it became evident where the storm’s impact would be most devastating.

The team of community relations specialists kept emergency responders, municipal leaders, and legislators apprised of the restoration efforts in their communities, and helped to speed the restoration process by relaying important information to PSNH from local observers concerning key trouble spots (such as blocked roads and downed lines).

CUSTOMER SERVICE: Personal Attention and

Outreach, 24/7

During a significant outage, it’s all hands on deck at Northeast Utilities’ Manchester Call Center as customer service representatives, credit, and billing personnel all work the phones to communicate with PSNH customers. During Sandy:

• More than 210 employees were in place once the storm hit, each person taking 12-hour shifts for around-the-clock coverage • Customer Service representatives answered more than 109,000

customer calls in three days

• The majority of calls were answered in 18 seconds or less by customer service representatives and automation • From Friday, October 26 through the restoration’s completion on November 1, Customer Service conducted regular

phone, email, and cell phone text initiatives concerning critical care support, how to report an outage, and updates on the restoration process.

“Thanks for all your help—you certainly went above and beyond for the people of Gilford, and we really appreciate it!”

—Scott Dunn, Town Administrator, Gilford

“I received a robocall this past weekend in anticipation of the upcoming hurricane, advising me of the numbers to call in case of an outage and how to deal with downed wires and such. Good job, PSNH! That was much appreciated, and a good public service announcement.” —Richard Mailhot, Deerfield

From the first days of preparation for the storm, PSNH and Northeast Utilities made safety the priority of its messaging to customers and employees alike, including:

• Daily reminders to workers in the field regarding driving defensively and working with caution

• Safe chain saw and generator procedures

• Regular media alerts regarding avoidance of downed lines of any kind

• Safety alerts to employees, customers, and municipalities concerning children and families celebrating Halloween Before heading out to the restoration effort, PSNH office workers with storm field assignments participated in a series of “wires down” safety training classes.

On the Sandy page at psnhnews.com, Corporate Communications linked customers to a video on the importance of safe generator installation and use.

“I realize there’s a lot of safety equipment, procedures and training which go into the lineman’s job, but still, something about getting up on a pole with live electrical wires during a storm with all the accompanying wind and rain—well, it makes you heroes.”

—Anne Bartlett, Lancaster (letter to Coös County Democrat)

Safety: At Home and in the Field

“Safety first.” It’s a year-round

priority for PSNH and the

Northeast Utilities companies, and

takes on added importance during

a storm restoration when workers

and the public are constantly

challenged by ever-changing

weather and environmental

conditions. PSNH has a tradition of

achieving and promoting safety

excellence, a tradition held true

during Hurricane Sandy.

Like Tropical Storm Irene a year ago, the broad impact from Hurricane Sandy meant that thousands of communities up and down the East Coast were all scrambling for the same mutual aid resources. While PSNH requested more than 400 crews, the storm’s overall demand was greater than the supply—thus, only about 85 crews from Southern and

Midwestern states were able to respond to the New Hampshire effort. But those crews arrived in time to join PSNH and its contractors in the field once the restoration began in earnest on the morning following the storm. Great progress was made the first day, and the effort was further accelerated on Wednesday by the arrival of 75 crews from Northeast Utilities partner Hydro Québec.

Several of the Canadian crews stayed in the North Country to assist in the effort in Coös County communities, and the remainder were assigned to the hard-hit southern part of the state.

In greeting the first wave of Hydro Québec crews to New Hampshire, Northeast Utilities CEO and President Tom May said, “We think we can end these outages a day earlier than we could have without your help.” As the Canadian and PSNH core crews worked through the night, those words proved prophetic—PSNH completed its restoration to all but a few isolated customers by midnight Thursday, November 1, 24 hours earlier than first projected.

Planning for the Challenge,

Powerful Results

“Energy…the strength driving our

commitment to provide reliable

service.” A corporate vision of any

substance should turn from mere

words into action during a

restoration. So it was during

Hurricane Sandy, as requested

assistance of a band of crews from

as far away as Texas, and an army

of reinforcements from Northeast

Utilities partner Hydro Québec

accelerated the completion of the

New Hampshire restoration.

“To the men from Hydro Québec… Thank you for coming such a long way, yet again, to help your neighbors to the south. When you leave, know you will have our eternal gratefulness, and a friend for life here in New Hampshire!” —Pamela Morin, via Facebook

“I would like to thank everyone who is working very hard at restoring power to the state. I would like to especially thank the crew from Texas that got our power back on—couldn’t have been any nicer to deal with.” —Chris Yevick, via Facebook

Community Voices

“Thank you for the pre-storm message, for the live-person, patient, informative responses we received when we called for updates, and for the message letting us know that power had been restored (after only 2 hours of

downtime!). The communication from PSNH couldn't have been better.”

—Maureen Comfort, Londonderry

“Thanks to all of the participating organizations that helped to coordinate the response for "Superstorm" Sandy this week. It was by far the most efficient and effective response that I've taken part in. Practice does make perfect, and our experiences over the past few years have really perfected our capabilities to manage emergencies of all sizes.

—Justin T. Kates, Director of Emergency Management, Nashua

“As a residential customer in N. Swanzey, I would like to commend the hard work done by the crews, and the restoration of power late last night.”

—State Representative Gus Lerandeau

“Thank you for your quick work in restoring our power in Greenland last night. I would not have wanted to be out in that weather but I appreciate that you were!

—Andrea Kelley

RT @mcclintd: @psnh Still have power in Epping! TY for the tree work on 125 this summer!

—via Twitter

“Thank you for your quick response to the treatment plant. Cannot get better service than that!”

—Gary Lamoureux, Fire Chief/Emergency Management Director, Keene

“Just wanted to let you know that your phone calls were extremely helpful to me and the hospital for planning purposes. Well done!

—Scott Ranks, Director Support Services, Hampstead Hospital

“Last weekend your crews repaired the power on our little street in Norwalk CT. It was late in the day, the last job for your crew for the day, and despite all that, they were exceedingly nice and professional as a whole

neighborhood stood out in the street to watch them. Needless to say, we cheered when the power came back on. The crews were so nice, patient, and chatted with us as they went about their business in a professional and timely way.