community - Atlantic City Electric

Getting to Know Your Public
Affairs Manager: Bert Lopez
COMMUNITY
Adalberto “Bert” Lopez has served in a variety of roles for Atlantic City Electric for over 30 years including his current position as Public Affairs Manager for Gloucester, Cumberland and Salem Counties.
Bert’s commitment to the South Jersey community has led to several volunteer leadership positions.
To name a few, he chairs the Cumberland Economic Development Board and the Cumberland/
Salem Workforce Investment Board. He serves on the AtlantiCare Board and is a past chair. He
also hosts a community service television interview show called “Latino Motion”, which airs
weekly on the Atlantic City NBC affiliate (WMGM-TV40).
F OC U S
10% due to the labor-intensive nature
of the remaining work. The tail-end of
the restoration effort typically moves
at the slowest pace since multiple
hours of work are often necessary to
restore just one or two customers. Full
power restoration was completed on
Sunday, July 8.
Bert’s efforts to improve South Jersey have not gone unrecognized. He was a past recipient of
the Hometown Hero Award from the United Way, was named Citizen of the Year by the National
Association of Social Workers and was honored in the Puerto Rican Parades for both Atlantic City
and Cumberland County.
You can reach Bert at 856-863-7945 or [email protected].
Do you have concerns or questions related to your community or constituents? If so, Atlantic City Electric’s
public affairs managers are available to assist.
COUNTY
Cumberland, Gloucester, Salem
Atlantic, Burlington, Camden
Atlantic, Ocean
Cape May
CONTACT
Bert Lopez
Tom Reilly
Ken Mosca
Ronnie Town
EMAIL
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
PHONE
856-863-7945
856-753-2850
609-645-4802
609-463-3805
VISIT OUR WEB SITE: ATLANTICCITYELECTRIC.COM • FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: @ACElecConnect • LIKE US ON FACEBOOK: facebook.com/AtlanticCityElectric
Crews begin the clean-up and restoration effort after the storm.
Atlantic City Electric Mobilizes Quickly
in Response to Violent Derecho
Early in the morning on June 30, a
straight-line windstorm, dubbed a
derecho, rolled in violently and unexpectedly. The fast-moving storm
brought winds in excess of 70 miles
per hour and caused a great amount
of damage across Atlantic City Electric’s
service area. At its peak, more than
186,000 customers were left without
power – 60,000 more than the outages caused by Hurricane Irene. “The
damage from this storm was some of
the worst I’ve seen,” said Jake Bruno,
Atlantic City Electric Troubleman and
President of IBEW Local 210. “Downed
utility poles and trees, tangled wires
and blocked intersections made this
restoration particularly challenging.”
Hundreds of Atlantic City Electric local
contractors and out-of-state mutual
assistance personnel responded to
help clear damage and begin restoration. Efforts were supported by all of
New Jersey’s electric utilities; line crews
from PSE&G, JCP&L and Orange &
Rockland began arriving on Saturday,
June 30. By Monday, more than 1,000
field resources had been deployed.
With the support of about 1,500 total
personnel, Atlantic City Electric
worked around the clock to restore
power and didn’t stop until the final
customer had been restored. Although
about 90% of customers were
restored by July 4, it took our crews
another four days to complete the last
To manage the influx of workers and
heavy equipment, the Atlantic City
Race Course was converted into a
staging area where crews prepared for
shifts that lasted up to 16 hours. “Our
contractor partners and utilities unaffected by the storm came to our assistance. The staging area resembled a
military operation – equipment and
materials strategically placed for efficient operation, workers arriving for
briefings each morning. Day after day
we went back into battle,” said Tom
Born, Atlantic City Electric Emergency
Management Manager. “This massive
effort was an example of mutual assistance working at its best.”
In order to keep stakeholders informed –
New Jersey Board of Public Utilities,
(continued)
MUTUAL ASSISTANCE
RESTORATION RESOURCES
597 line contractors from New
York and northern New Jersey
39 contract assessment crews
388 tree-trimming personnel
ATLANTIC CITY ELECTRIC NEWS FOR GOVERNMENT, BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY LEADERS
AUGUST 2012
5100 Harding Highway
Mays Landing, NJ 08330
Atlantic City Electric Mobilizes Quickly in Response to Violent Derecho
Offices of Emergency Management
(OEMs), local and state legislators,
freeholders, mayors and other county
officials – Atlantic City Electric Region
President Vince Maione held daily conference calls to provide updates on the
restoration progress. Media outlets
were updated daily and the company
website, social media sites and mobile
app were updated throughout each
day. “Consistent and clear communication with our stakeholders and customers was of paramount importance
during this outage,” said Maione.
“The use of technologies like our
mobile app helped us provide a variety
of ways to send out important information quickly.” Teams were in constant contact with local and county
officials to collect reports of downed
wires and trees and to identify highpriority facilities such as hospitals and
nursing homes that had lost power.
Additionally, all Atlantic City Electric
employees are trained for second role
responsibilities. Second roles are
responsibilities, outside
of normal day-to-day
work, that employees
are trained to take on in
the event of an emergency. On Saturday,
June 30 all second role
personnel were activated. “I got a call at 3
a.m. on Saturday to
serve as a liaison for the
Atlantic County OEM,”
said Cindy Whitcraft,
This cartoon, which ran in the Press of Atlantic City on July 7, illustrated
Senior Analyst, Special
much appreciated support for the line crews.
(continued)
DAMAGE REPAIRS
I Replaced almost
I
100 miles of wire
Replaced 258
downed utility poles
I Replaced
285
transformers
Billing for Atlantic City Electric.
“Throughout the week, I reported
directly to the OEM and helped field
calls related to the storm, the outage
and the restoration process.”
We would like to take this opportunity
to thank everyone — our crews and
employees, the crews mobilized from
other utilities and state and local
emergency management officials —
who worked around the clock in
severe heat to restore power and
clean up storm damage.
Atlantic City Electric Helps
Beautify and Improve Safety
on the Boardwalk
Atlantic City Electric has taken a significant role in supporting Mayor
Lorenzo Langford’s lighting initiative on the boardwalk in Atlantic
City. Partnering with the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority
(CRDA) and the city, the new lighting supports the initiative of
improving safety and beautifying the boardwalk. The boardwalk lighting project is a long-term initiative that includes a new and expanded plan that includes 180 new lights
that have been upgraded from single to double-headed poles with 175 watt halide lamps.
In February, Atlantic City Electric chose to expedite the Mayor’s plan by installing 9 new lights on Albany
Avenue, and 18 lights on the boardwalk in front of REVEL. Installation of those lights was completed inhouse by the Atlantic City Electric underground department. The next phase of the boardwalk lighting will
include Roosevelt Avenue South to Jackson Avenue and should begin after Labor Day.
This project is also part of Governor Chris Christie’s “Clean & Safe” initiative that is meant to increase
tourism, decrease crime and improve the boardwalk experience.
New Jersey Department of Transportation Commissioner
Visits Atlantic City Electric Office
On May 15, as
part of a series of
onsite visits to
open lines of communication and
build partnerships
with utilities across
the state, New
Jersey Department of Transportation
(NJDOT) Commissioner James S.
Simpson spent an afternoon at the
Atlantic City Electric office in Mays
Landing. The purpose of the meeting
was to discuss areas of common interest in order to find ways to improve
cooperation and mutual support during emergencies.
Key takeaways included:
I A strong partnership with the
NJDOT benefits the community
Atlantic City Electric and the NJDOT
are always looking for ways to
improve emergency response.
Having a mutual understanding of
how the other’s process works will
help improve communication and
coordination during an emergency.
I Atlantic City Electric and the
NJDOT are responsible for key
assets and arteries that are similar in nature
Atlantic City Electric and the NJDOT
manage assets – transmission lines
and roadways – that are essential to
maintain public access and safety.
These assets face similar challenges
such as damage from fallen trees and
exposure to weather. When problems
occur, significant disruption to public
activity and safety can occur.
I A strong partnership with the
NJDOT is key when Atlantic City
Electric needs emergency access
to public roadways
Working together is even more
important during a crisis when travel
restrictions are in place and roads
are shut down to regular traffic. In
the aftermath of June’s devastating
storm, Atlantic City Electric relied on
the NJDOT to help clear roadways
and secure access to damaged areas
for crews and tree trimmers.
I Atlantic City Electric and the
NJDOT rely on each other
When mobilizing and managing
resources during an event, quick
response, coordination and cooperation are key to help ensure a safe
and speedy recovery.
“Atlantic City Electric shares the roadways with the NJDOT,” said Susan
Coan, Atlantic City Electric Region Vice
President. “It’s absolutely essential to
have a strong partnership.”
Atlantic City Electric Supports its Communities
This spring, Atlantic City Electric participated in a number of important community events and activities.
I 2012 Southern New Jersey Heart Walk. On May 19, more than 240 walkers from Atlantic City Electric raised
I
I
I
I
more than $50,000 for the American Heart Association. Funds raised will support the fight against heart disease and
stroke. Vince Maione, Atlantic City Electric Region President, served as this year’s Chairman of the event.
Special Olympics of New Jersey. Earlier this year, Atlantic City Electric sponsored the Special Olympics of New
Jersey’s State Floor Hockey Tournament. The event took place at Stockton College with Charlie Wimberg, Atlantic
City Electric Region Vice President, serving as this year’s
event Chairman.
Clean Ocean Action Beach Sweep. On April 21, Atlantic
City Electric sponsored the Clean Ocean Action Beach
Sweep. Volunteers helped clean the Atlantic City beach and
then documented the types and numbers of items collected.
Big Brothers/Sisters. On April 22, Atlantic City Electric
sponsored the Big Brothers Big Sisters Bowling for Kids
event that took place in Burlington County.
Earth Day. In April, Atlantic City Electric hosted booths at a
number of local Earth Day events, including the Atlantic
County Utilities Association’s. Displays featured safety and
environmental stewardship presentations, hands-on CFL
Atlantic City Electric volunteers walk to support the fight against
heart disease and stroke.
demonstrations and a Hybrid Car & Truck Display.
Senior Public Affairs Manager Ronnie Town who spearheads many of the volunteer recruitment and fundraising efforts
for Atlantic City Electric said, “My fellow workers care deeply about the communities we serve. I’m glad our efforts
resulted in such generous donations of effort, personal time and money to these important organizations.”