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PSE&G Gas Restoration & Mutual Aid Lessons Learned from Super Storm Sandy NGA Gas Operations School - 6/6/13
PSE&G Gas Restoration & Mutual Aid Lessons Learned from
Super Storm Sandy
NGA Gas Operations School - 6/6/13
PSE&G Company Profile
• PSE&G serves approx. 70% of NJ
• 2,600-square miles• 1.7 M Gas
customers• 2.1 M Electric
customers• 300 Municipalities• Includes 6 largest
cities in NJ
PSE&G Background
• 750+ Service Technicians serve 12 District areas
• Responsibilities:– Utility Service Work
(Tariff)– Appliance Repair– HVAC Installations
• Approx. 100,000 Leak & Emergency Calls per year
• Fully Automated Dispatching System
TROPICAL STORM FLOYD - 1999
1999 STORM DAMAGE
• 17,834 Customers restored• Over 90% restored within 6 days• Hub Station damage in Northern NJ affected
Telephone Service • GSIMS in Northern Zone Down for 4 days• Oradell Gas District severely damaged• Electric Outages prevented Sump Pumps
from working, causing isolated flooding• 95 Mutual Aid resources worked 4 days
1999 RECOMMENDATIONS• Develop Storm
Restoration Safety Procedure
• Develop Procedure for Performing Assessment of Flood Conditions
• Implement Process to Identify Customers Restored
• Develop Paperwork Process for Tracking Restoration Work
1999 RECOMMENDATIONS
• Identify Potential Field Command Center Locations
• Strengthen Coordination with OEMs [Y2K]
• Establish Criteria for Daily Teleconferences
• Establish Procedure for Using MUTUAL AID Crews
Nor’easter Settles Over NJ on 4/15/07
2007 Nor’easter – Manville Swamped
2007 STORM DAMAGE
• 9,407 customers impacted by regional flooding• Oradell Gas District severely damaged (again)• Centralized Distribution Emergency Response
Center (DERC) controlled Incident Command Process
• Field Command Centers established at 7 locations
• Isolated Flooding due to Electric Outages
2007 RECOMMENDATIONS
• Reinforce use of Incident Command Structure • Evaluate process for performing pre-emptive
gas service turn-offs ahead of flood event• Enhance GIS mapping functionality to study
flood stage data for flood-prone areas• Populate streets and flood zones in “Flood
Restoration Tracking Template”• Use Sharepoint Gas Restoration site to
coordinate future restorations
Microsoft - SHAREPOINT
Gas Restoration Intranet Site
• Tools for planning and monitoring restoration activities
• Documents for internal & external communication
• Documents for tracking restoration progress• Internal links for Emergency Procedures,
Knowledge Management, Municipal Officials and PSE&G resources
• External links for monitoring River Flooding, Weather, OSHA, CDC and FEMA
Restoration Process Folders
River Flood Tracking
Industry Websites
CorporateWebsites
Passaic River - Flood Predictions
MS SharePoint SiteTool Box for Planning and
Monitoring Gas Restoration Activities
Microsoft SharePoint SiteOffices of Emergency Management –
Supporting Documents
TROPICAL STORM EARL - 2010
Willowbrook Mall – Wayne, NJ
5,000 Customers Impacted
Hurricane Irene – 2011
Oradell District Headquarters
NJ River Flooding After Hurricane Irene
Severe Flooding in Northern NJ – 34,000 Customers Restored
Flood Damage - Little Falls, NJ
Create Flood Zone Polygons
• Capture Street Addresses in Affected Areas
Risk Assessment
• High Risk - areas where we have actively shut down the gas distribution system following foundation movement and building collapse from severe flooding. Flowing water or deep saturation in poor soil conditions causes undermining of building foundations.
• Moderate Risk – areas where rising water has a minimal potential of entering the gas distribution system or damaging company equipment. Meter sets are most affected.
• Low Risk – areas with limited flooding, the threat of foundation damage is low and no company equipment is typically damaged by water.
Capture Real Time Restoration Data• Tools and resources to accurately track customer status
Proactive Recommendations
– Install Excess Flow Valves - 2,000 EFV’s per year in moderate risk flood areas (HP services only)
– Develop Overheated Boiler Policy– Ensure that District Regulator breather
piping and vents are adequately piped– Ensure that District Regulator vaults &
vent posts are adequately sealed – Upgrade Mobile Command Vehicle
Super Storm Sandy – October 2012
Holland Tunnel Closed (Jersey City)
Hoboken Path Station Fills Up
Jersey City Flooding
Little Ferry Rescues After Dam Failure
Little Ferry Man Rescues Mom
Storm Surge Floods Hoboken Streets
Hoboken Swamped
Hoboken Streets Take Days to Dry Out
Flood Carried Ground Oil thru 30+ Homes in Bayonne
Large Tree Down in Sayreville
Tree Hits Home in Hunterdon
Tree Hits Car in Hunterdon
Tree Takes Out Security Gate at PSE&G Orange District HQ
200+ Gas Employees Provided Daily Support for Electric Delivery
– Standby for Downed Wires
– Management of Foreign Crews (1,000+)
Sandy Damage Assessment
• 8 of 12 District Offices needed Emergency Generators
• 5 of 12 District Offices experienced damage from flooding (1) and fallen trees (4)
• Difficult travel within service territory• Employee Homes directly affected by Storm• Electric Delivery overwhelmed by Downed Wires• 25 Municipalities impacted by Flooding
Gas System Infrastructure Issues
– 6 District Regulator Stations impacted by Flooding
– 26 M&R Locations Lost Communications During Storm
– Water Infiltration in 80,000 feet of M+S
Super Storm Sandy Restoration 10/29 to 11/12
• 25 Towns Impacted by Significant Flooding – Central Region
• Harrison, Newark, Bayonne, Hoboken, Jersey City, Kearney
– Northern Region• East Rutherford, Little Ferry, Lyndhurst, Moonachie,
Rutherford, South Hackensack, Wallington, Bogota, Edgewater, Hackensack, New Milford, Ridgefield Park Village, River Edge, Teaneck
– Mid-Central Region• East Brunswick, Sayreville, South Amboy, South River
Initial Responsibilities• Secure “Emergency Travel Ban” Letters• Perform Downed Wire Monitoring for Electric
Delivery• Perform Damage Assessment• Proactively Open Communications with
Municipalities• Provide Flood Safety Training• Establish Field Command Centers• Engage Procurement (Supply Chain)• Determine Manpower Requirements
Support for Impacted Towns – 5 Field Command Centers &
4 Customer Care Centers
PSE&G Employees Performed 41,547 Premise Visits
7,000+ Gas Meters Were Replaced
Hoboken High-Rise Building - 326 Flooded Meters Replaced
Over 6,700 Premises - 1 or More Violations Issued
Severe Damage - 1,500+ Homes Jersey City, Hoboken, Sayreville & Bayonne
Field Command Centers - Responsibilities
• Local Damage Assessment• OEM Coordination• Gas Distribution Responsibilities• Workload Assessment• Couriers/District Guides• Deployment of Field Personnel• Restoration Records
Field Command Center - Setup Needs
• Tents, Trailers, Emergency Generators, Portable Lighting, Space Heaters, etc.
• Ample Space for Vehicle & Technician Traffic• Storage of New Materials & Removal of
Discarded Materials/Debris• Technologies to Detect/Remove Trapped
Liquids - Pipeline Cameras & Vacuum Systems• On-site Technical Support to Address
Operational Procedures & Problem Resolution
Field Command Center Layout
Field Command Center Layout
Field Command Center Layout
Field Command Center Layout
Field Command Center Layout
Determining Material Needs
• Replace Submerged Meters & Regulators• Gas Meters:
– Estimate # of gas meter changes within perimeter of flood regions
• Regulators:– Estimate # of I&C and Residential Regulators within
Flood Regions– Identify Pressure Areas affected– Identify Large Volume Meter Sizes inside perimeter– Consider Possible Site Rebuilds & Replacement Part
Kits
Safety Tailboard – Preparation
Gas Restoration Safety & Procedures Review
• Service Technicians receive initial & daily Safety Tailboard reviews covering specific subjects:– Flood Safety– Mold Awareness Training– Mercury Regulator Identification– A&I Notifications (Gas Turn-ons)– Warning Tag (Violation) Procedures– Overheated Boiler Response– Flood Restoration Procedures– Gas Restoration Documentation
Safety in Flooded Areas
• Wear hard hats, safety glasses, vest, gloves and other PPE when working in flooded areas.
• Expect floors and stairs to be oily and slippery.• When ascending or descending stairs, hold the railing and
step to one side.• Do not go into basements where standing water, raw
sewage or obvious electric hazards may exist.• Treat all wiring, even telephone and cable, as live.• “Electricity and Water Do Not Mix” - high potential for
electric shock.• Do not attempt to reconnect the electric supply to an
appliance that has been exposed to water damage.• Tetanus booster shot needed if not received within 10
years. Follow OSHA website to determine if additional shots needed (Hepatitis).
Tailboard – Review Job Expectations
Gas Restoration Expectations for OEMs, Municipalities & Towns
• Damage Assessment:– Track flooding conditions– Assess Damage - bridge crossings, regulator
stations, exposed main & other Company facilities• Perimeter of Flooded Area:
– Estimate the number of customers affected by flood waters
• Field Command Centers:– Secure suitable locations for restoration work– Support severely damaged areas– Work closely with local authorities (Police & FD)– Establish ongoing communications mechanisms
OEM Employees Keeping Customers Safe in Hoboken
– Join forces with Municipal Inspectors to establish a safe plan for assessing damaged structures and turning off gas facilities at the same time. Restoration activities will not begin until flood water has been cleared.
– Safely turn off gas facilities to ensure that flood water has not caused damage to utility/customer equipment and gas piping.
– Prior to the utility restoring gas service, Municipal Inspectors may expect to provide an inspection approval (where required) to determine that:
• Customer basements are cleared of water• Electric facilities (electric panel, meter box) are verified for safety• Following inspector approval, customers are expected to contact
utility to restore gas after their home/building passes an inspection.
Partnership with OEMs – Gas Restoration Process
Post-Flood Inspections
– NJDCA supports the process shared between PSE&G and municipal inspectors for performing post-flood inspections and gas appliance restorations simultaneously.
– NJDCA provides inspector resources to assist municipalities not having enough staff to support post- flood inspections.
Municipal Inspectors Partner with PSE&G
– When restoring gas to customers, PSE&G will establish that customer gas piping is not leaking, and may replace meters, service regulators and possibly regulator vent piping if they have been exposed to water.
– PSE&G will not restore gas to water heaters if controls have been affected by flood waters. Flooded units must be replaced.
– PSE&G’s restoration policy for gas fired furnaces & boilers requires that all gas controls, control system parts, and electrical parts that have been underwater must be replaced before the unit may be safely operated. Replacement of the entire unit may be required on a case-by-case basis.
Gas Restoration Requirements
Explosion/Injury Risks – Boilers & Furnaces
• Heating controls exposed to flood water can fail after being dried and placed back in operation.
• Any controls exposed to flood water must always be replaced.
What is an Overheated Boiler?• “Overheated Boiler”: Heating unit reaches an
exceedingly high temperature and pressure, and will not shut off.
• This condition, a.k.a. “Runaway Boiler”, is considered unsafe and very hazardous to emergency responders and building occupants.
• This condition is primarily caused by coincidental failures of redundant safety controls that maintain safe temperature, pressure, gas supply, and water supply.
• Previous boiler failure incidents occurred when safety controls failed to operate as designed due to mechanical failure (i.e., aquastat shorting out, damaged wiring, or failed gas valve) or human intervention.
Service Technician Performs Safety Inspection on Customer Boiler
OEM Coordination – Town Hall Meetings
• Provide restoration update for community
• Describe steps required to restore customers
•
Work with OEMs, towns and municipalities to plan an Exit Strategy after the majority of customers have been restored and local Command Centers have been discontinued.
•
Exit Strategy includes: – Establishing contact information and
designated responsibilities to support customers who have had restoration delayed due to repairs or other circumstances.
Exit Strategy for Customer Support
Hoboken Mayor & Gov Christie Discuss Restoration Plans
Restoration Meetings with Hoboken Mayor Zimmer
Restoration Strategy in Field Command Center
Key Lessons Learned
Prepare & share gas restoration expectation documents with OEMs and customers.For badly stricken areas, set restoration expectations early with Mayor and Code Official Staff.Some municipalities provide a block-by-block “grid map,”which enhanced the efficiency of the inspections significantly, especially in Hoboken.Following past practice & lessons learned, PSE&G has a policy for changing out gas meters and regulators touched by water either on the inside or outside.Expand the use social media to communicate system status and important safety messages preceding major weather events.
Key Lessons Learned
Work with municipalities to post a link to PSE&G’swebsite to share important safety and flood safety restoration messages. Continue outreach efforts to establish restoration protocol with municipal code officials. Promote the use of mobile hot spots in those areas impacted by the storm to aid in electronic information gathering and communications. Following SS Sandy, PSE&G and NGRID successfully tested ULC Robotics’ DWX-200 Dewatering Camera prototype. This apparatus allows utilities to make a single tap hole to find and siphon off water up to 200 feet away in a live gas main.
Mutual Aid for Sandy!
Mutual Aid Checklist - Initial Planning Steps
• Advance Meeting - Mutual Aid Utility
• Permission Letters• Automatic Tolls• Directions - Maps/GPS• Transportation• Meal Planning• Lodging• Fuel Availability• Employee Roster & Cell
#’s• Updated OQ Records• Field Command Center• Wireless Hot Spots
Mutual Aid Checklist - Initial Implementation Steps
• Mutual Aid On-Boarding - Procedure & Safety Intro
• Field “Do’s & Don’ts”• Work Procedures• Safety Tailboards• PPE, Tools & Equipment• Materials – Meters,
Regulators, Fittings & Consumables
• Local Guide Personnel• Mutual Aid Contact
Cell #’s• Work Tracking Forms• Daily Work Orders
Mutual Aid – Safety is #1
PSE&G Gas Mutual Aid NJ Natural Gas - 11/5 to 11/12
• PSE&G supplied 33 resources for 8 days:– 10 Distribution (Construction) Crews– 2 Supervisors & 1 Safety Representative
• Crews rode buses daily from Burlington District: – 16-hr Shifts
• PSE&G requested to:– Assess integrity of gas service and meter sets for
residences impacted by storm surge and flooding.– Cut the service at the main (where appropriate), secure
the meter set to the structure, or plug the service.
PSE&G Gas Mutual Aid NJ Natural Gas - 11/5 to 11/12
• PSE&G worked in coastal communities - Manasquan, Union Beach & Long Beach Island.
• PSE&G work crews cut 125 gas services, assessed 600 meter sets, installed 50 meter angles, & plugged 135 meters.
• All work was completed safely, without incident.
Mantoloking Breached
Significant Damage to Shore Homes
NJNG Customers Displaced
PSE&G Gas Mutual Aid NGRID - 11/28 to 12/15
• PSE&G supplied 89 total resources:– 31 two-man service crews for 10 days, plus 8 two-man
service crews for 2 days– 4 three-man construction crews for 11 days
• Each service crew, comprised of 1 AS technician and 1 GD associate, worked streets in tandem.
• Each construction crew was comprised of 1 street leader, 1 utility mechanic & 1 machine operator.
• Crews assembled daily at Edison Training & Development Center (ETDC), working 16-hour shifts.
• Crews received meals at ETDC at the beginning & end of each day
PSE&G Gas Construction Mutual Aid NGRID - 11/28 to 12/15
• PSE&G worked along the eastern shore in Staten Island.
• PSE&G was asked to:– Perform gas facility inspections, meter & regulator
replacements, service shut-offs and turn-ons.– Clean out curb valve boxes.– Cut service at the main, where appropriate.
• PSE&G service crews completed 3,958 work orders. • PSE&G gas construction crews cut 106 gas
services.• All work was completed safely, without incident.
PSE&G Command Center Staten Island
Preparing to Cut at Main
Boats Grounded!
Boats Misplaced
Roofs & Decks Misplaced
Vehicles Misplaced
Homes Misplaced
Staten Island NGRID Customers Suffer Severe Hardship
Abandoned Customer Message: Sandy Broke Our Hearts!
Start Storm Restoration Planning Now!
FOR MORE INFORMATION
• Paul Pirro– Manager - Technical
Services– PSE&G Gas Delivery– 24 Brown Avenue
Springfield, NJ 07081973-912-3239
