Source reader Carey Galdo wrote wanting to let us know “that neither of the phone numbers provided in your WAPA/power restoration article on 9/5/10 actually work.” Galdo said, “No one answers, and while the "24 hour" line goes to voicemail, the box is full. Numbers are 777-9272 and 774-1424.”
We contacted WAPA Communications Director Cassandra Dunn, who said, “The telephone numbers are operational and have been throughout the restoration.”
She said the call center and the line department was manned from 6 a.m. to midnight last Monday by eight to 10 persons and thereafter from at least 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. by four to six persons as conditions throughout the island improved. “As of today, the hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., she said. “We are getting about 1,200 calls a day to those numbers,” Dunn said.
“The problem is the overwhelming number of calls, especially repeated calls sometimes four to five times from the same customer within a very short period of time,” Dunn said. The system was overwhelmed she said, adding it is something that will be closely examined for improvement in the future. She said she would ask the line department to clear the mailbox for the 774-1424 number.
