White Plains, NY — The Westchester County Board of Legislators has invited representatives from Consolidated Edison and New York State Gas and Electric to appear before the Board at a special meeting Monday to address the companies' response to recent power outages.

The meeting will be held Monday, March 19, at noon, in the Board's offices on the 8th Floor of the County Office Building in White Plains at 148 Martine Avenue.

The meeting follows a Board Resolution passed last Monday that criticized the companies for inadequate planning and deployment of resources after Nor'easters earlier this month left thousands of County residents without power, many for as long as a week and some for longer, noting that the frequency and severity of storms will worsen due to the effects of climate change.

The Board is seeking to better understand what the utilities did to prepare for and respond to the storms and how those preparations and responses can be improved.  

The Board also is seeking information about areas that appeared to be bottlenecks in recovery -- such as how the companies coordinate the use of crews from other utilities across North America and how they work with local municipalities in coordinating work.  

The Board also has questions about the often confusing and contradictory messages with which the companies communicated with residents.