Pallone Calls on JCP&L to Reimburse Customers for Lost Food and Medications

Long Branch, NJ – Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) today demanded JCP&L reimburse customers for food and medications lost due to widespread and prolonged power outages in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Isaias. In a letter to the company's executives, Pallone called on the company to provide the reimbursements in light of its failure to adequately respond to the widespread power outages. As a result of the storm, an estimated 1.4 million residents in New Jersey lost power, including 788,000 JCP&L customers.

"I strongly urge JCP&L to take responsibility and follow the lead of other utility providers which are reimbursing customers for lost food and medications in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Isaias," wrote Pallone. "JCP&L appears to have taken far longer to restore service to far more people than other utilities in the state; it is completely reasonable to reimburse customers for loss due to the unreasonable amount of time your company took to restore power. Unfortunately, your failure to do the right thing during this difficult time for your customers is consistent with other shortcomings your company has with reliability and communication. It is time for this to stop and for your focus to turn to furnishing adequate service to your customers, not just profit for your shareholders."

A copy of the letter is available here.