On June 22, 2015, thunderstorms erupted over northern Illinois generating torrential rainfall and a dozen tornadoes. This violent weather caused 29,000 outages across the region. ComEd’s storm-response team was immediately launched into action and within 48 hours, 99 percent of storm-impacted customers were restored. As a result of this effort, ComEd has been recognized with the “Emergency Recovery Award” presented by the Edison Electric Institute (EEI).
The storm, which spawned an EF-3 tornado that ran from Coal City to Braidwood, was the strongest tornado to hit Grundy County in more than 40 years. Facing severe storm damage and challenging conditions, nearly 800 ComEd and contractor crews spent over 128,000 worker-hours to quickly and safely restore power service to customers.
“Our employees are the best in the business. When storms and hazardous weather wreak havoc in our territory, all of our employees – from those on the front line to those back in offices coordinating restoration efforts – are focused on bringing power quickly and safely back to our customers,” said Anne Pramaggiore, president and CEO, ComEd. “It is an honor for ComEd to receive this award, which recognizes the tremendous work undertaken by all of our employees and supporting crews.”
The award is presented twice a year to EEI member companies to recognize their extraordinary efforts to restore power to customers after service disruptions caused by severe weather conditions or other natural events. The winners were chosen by a panel of judges following a nomination process, and the awards were presented during EEI’s January CEO and Board of Directors meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona.
