Inquirer Editorial: Let there be light

Utility workers and customers have finally reached the end of a protracted recovery from the snow and ice storms of a week ago - just in time, as it happens, for the next one. With almost half of Peco's customers deprived of electricity at some point, and emergencies declared by Gov. Corbett and President Obama, it's clear that the region suffered an unusually destructive bout of bad weather. Thousands of workers from Peco and the far-flung utilities that came to its aid labored long hours in frigid temperatures to get the lights and heat back on.

Despite that considerable effort, the extent and duration of the power failure, along with a critical mass of complaints about Peco's communications with customers and officials, show there is more work to do between storms to minimize the havoc they cause in the future.

Last Wednesday's ice storm was not a perfect one, but it followed a soggy, sticky snow, conspiring to coat trees with an inch or more of heavy moisture in what meteorologists and utility officials described as a series of remarkably unfortunate events. Limbs, trunks, and poles snapped and toppled in thickets, particularly in Chester, Montgomery, and Bucks Counties. Peaking at more than 600,000 customers without power, the extent of the disruption to Peco was a close second to what followed Superstorm Sandy in 2012.

The utility summoned help from as far away as Canada and the Deep South, ultimately fielding more than 6,000 personnel, the largest Peco posse ever assembled. But it still took about four days to restore power to 90 percent of customers, and five days to reach 99 percent. That was comparable to the pace of Peco's post-Sandy response but slower than the previous year's Hurricane Irene effort, which restored electricity to 99 percent of homes within three days.

As The Inquirer's Andrew Maykuth reported, Peco president Craig L. Adams has said his industry should attempt to restore power within three days of major disasters. After two storms that knocked out power to much of the region in the space of a year and a half - and with another substantial storm said to be bearing down on the heels of this recovery - there is that much more reason to work toward leaving fewer people in the dark and cold for more than a few days, even in the wake of extraordinary weather.

Peco's mobilization has earned preliminary praise from the chairman of the state Public Utility Commission, which has begun a standard comprehensive review of the storm response that should provide guidance on what can be improved. Complaints from customers and a few local officials suggest the utility's communications, a concern the PUC has flagged before, still need work. Candid, frequent, and accurate dissemination of information can help the public deal with trying circumstances. The commission and Peco should also consider whether additional measures to strengthen power infrastructure and remove trees and other hazards would be cost-effective in light of the recent storms.

For a determined effort to restore power over a week of cold days and nights, utility workers and contractors deserve the public's thanks. And the public deserves a long look at the possibilities for making the next blackout shorter.