After the storm

The storm that walloped the St. Louis area and left 700,000 homes and businesses without power -- many for days -- caused as much devastation as any major disaster. But, because of the storm's surprising speed and the fact that there were almost no injuries or deaths as a direct result of the straight-line winds, most of the focus has been on the response of AmerenUE, which provides electricity in the St. Louis metro area.

Now the Missouri Public Service Commission, which regulates utility companies, intends to make an official investigation of Ameren's response to the storm. Thousands of power customers were still waiting for repairs at the end of last week.

It's difficult to grasp the logistics of what it would take to restore electricity to 700,000 locations when there are downed trees blocking streets and alleys. Ameren has, like all utility companies, a plan for responding to disasters. But marshaling available resources and obtaining assistance from other repair crews that have to travel hundreds of miles to get to the affected area is a daunting process.

Some PSC commissioners wonder if the plight of Ameren's customers was as much due to the utility's failures before the storms hit. They cite three consecutive summers of widespread power failures in the St. Louis area.

It has become a way of life these days for major catastrophes to be followed by a flurry of official inquiries, most of which say they are looking for solutions but wind up pointing fingers of blame. Let's hope the PSC's inquiry looks for ways to maintain and restore basic services in extraordinary circumstances. If poor judgment and bad management are found to be at fault, appropriate action should be taken.