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Residents feel powerless with power company
Residents of the Rolling Hills subdivision on Route 16 West believe Allegheny Power is responsible for the damage to their appliances. Allegheny tells them the responsibility lies with the driver who hit the utility pole at 4:48 a.m. Oct. 26. Teresa Kloza and Kristy Faulkner remember the darkness that morning. They and their children dressed by flashlight and candlelight, and noticed the same in other homes when they went to the bus stop for the secondary schools pickup. They were aware the power had been off briefly but it was back on when they heard the sirens of emergency vehicles. The power then went off between 5 and 6 a.m. and came on permanently between 7 and 7:30. Their stance is that Allegheny turned off the power intentionally as it repaired a downed line. And when it was turned back on the voltage sent through the wires was too great. Homeowners experienced exploded meter boxes, inoperable appliances and surge protectors that couldn't protect the devices connected to them. One by one they planned to pay for the repairs or file a claim through homeowner's insurance. But as they started talking to each other and to electricians and repairmen, they realized their personal situation was not isolated and was actually unusual. And the responses by Allegheny struck them as suspect. Detectives Kloza and Faulkner compiled a list of damages experienced that morning. Nine dishwashers had conked out due to damaged control panels. Also on the blink were two refrigerators, one washing machine, three computers, two big screen TVs, six small appliances, a circuit breaker, three surge protectors and an outdoor meter socket. The most telling damage was the eight meter boxes that blew up. The clear cover flew off and a smoky residue remained. "When Allegheny came out to replace the boxes, that was a sign 'we screwed up,'" contends Faulkner. She said electricians have told the residents the power coming in to the homes caused the damage. Allegheny told different people they would come out to investigate but never have. One representative allegedly told a man the company was "too vigorous" in sending the power back out. A neighbor told the women the company told him to submit a claim after he threatened to sue. He did and some of the other homeowners sent in claims as well. They have begun receiving denial letters. Daniel M. Hartung, Senior Claims Representative in Greensburg, sent a letter to Faulkner dated Nov. 5. He acknowledges that an individual caused damage to Allegheny facilities and that the company would send her contact information on that person, including an address and insurance company with which to file her claim. He wrote "We recognize the seriousness of any customer's loss and we genuinely regret the occurrence; however, your damage was beyond our control. Payment of your claim is respectfully denied." Faulkner estimates she suffered $500 in repair expenses and for another couple it is over $1,000. Kloza said Allegheny told her it would investigate the situation, but her denial letter was dated that same day of the call. "They are reneging on what they said. I'd prefer Allegheny Power comes out to look. They didn't and we need an explanation." No one has received information on the driver of the vehicle that caused the damage but they aren't convinced that was the cause of their problems. The two say homeowners insurance might cover some repairs but deductibles usually aren't met. Some residents have found their dishwashers are not covered by the warranty because the machine was not defective. Greencastle Rescue Hose Company responded to three calls Oct. 26 following an auto accident west of the Antrim Township line. The calls came in at 4:38, 4:52 and 7:20 a.m., according to the RHC online report. They went to a church on Buchanan Trail West for an automatic fire alarm, and to two homes on North Rabbit Road, one with an odor from an electrical surge that damaged a computer and the other in which a power strip malfunctioned due to a power surge. Allegheny speaks David Neurohr, company spokesman, said Friday that a vehicle had hit a utility pole on Lemar Road, affecting power to 785 customers using the Upton substation. The homes and businesses were along Route 16, Warmspring Road and Letzburg Road. He said power was fully restored by 7:10 a.m. He and Doug Colafella, Corporate Communications Manager, were unaware of the situation affecting the Rolling Hills residents. Both were surprised by the phrase 'too vigorous,' stating they had never heard of such a thing. Contacted separately through Allegheny's headquarters in Greensburg, both promised to look into the situation and report back on Monday. Colafella returned a call Monday morning and said that when the car hit the pole, the pole broke. The top cross-arm, which carried 34.5 kilovolts, touched the line below, which caused a short circuit and "a really strong electrical surge." He acknowledged that meters would blow in that case but it was an infrequent event. Significant damage would occur. "We take claims very seriously," he said, " and will compensate customers, but we first have to determine blame." Allegheny is still waiting for the Pennsylvania State Police official report. He said if the driver is at fault, the 40 to 50 affected customers will receive that insurance company information. As far as the power coming on and going off again, Colafella said when recloser technology detects a problem, it shuts down service. He said Allegheny employees "absolutely" did not do anything wrong. Kloza just wants resolution. "I didn't ask for anything to happen. How do we get around this if it happens again?" |
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