Residents and local businesses said they’re alarmed after back-to-back power outages in the sweltering heat in Dupont Circle.
Several said they have yet to hear directly from the power company and worry there may be little communication the next time the lights go out.
“The first one hit me, and I was like, ‘Whatever we’re going to deal with it, we’re going to go around it,’” said Dupont Circle resident Ali Hassannia. “But then today it happened again, same area, and I’m like, so we didn’t fix it the first time? You’re not telling us anything, and I don’t know what to do.”
According to Pepco, 1,800 customers were without service until power was restored Sunday afternoon.
Pepco said they could experience another outage over the next few days.
Pepco told News4 the cause of the outages is a complex equipment issue at its 22nd Street substation in the District. Those equipment issues, plus increased demand from the intense summer heat and storms, have put a heavier load on their electric system.
But residents told News4 they are frustrated they have yet to hear directly from the company about the outage — and how to prepare for another one in the future.
“We’ve all been out of the loop,” Hassannia said. “Every tenant, you know, stairwells are dark, we don’t know what’s going on.”
Pepco told News4 in a statement, “Until all permanent repairs are complete, Pepco may continue to implement controlled outages in the area. These service interruptions are necessary when load levels approach critical thresholds. When possible, we will provide advance notice to customers, but due to emergent needs, proactive warning is not always possible.”
Ward 2 ANC Commissioner Alex Marshall put up posters to help the community stay out of the dark.
“People are telling me like, ‘I’ve already had a lot of my groceries go to waste, should I keep buying more?’ And I don’t know what to say,” he said “There’s been no presence on the ground from Pepco or D.C. government. Every single resident I’ve talked with has said until about midday today they have not heard from a member of D.C. government or Pepco about this.”
While the lights are on, residents are looking for answers and accountability.
“If you told me, ‘Hey, this is what’s happening, this is what we’re doing to fix this and this is when we expect power to be back,’ I would be tenfold more appreciative of their work, instead of just being like, ‘Good luck.’”
from Local – NBC4 Washington https://ift.tt/NhQl4fs
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