The late October snowstorm caused a huge portion of New England to lose electricity and widespread frustration as the powerless days dragged on. In Harvard, the lights didn't come back for the entire town until Friday.

By all accounts, the town's emergency response team did a more-than-admirable job responding to the situation. Led by first-year fire Chief Rick Sicard, crews of firefighters, DPW workers, and police officers mobilized immediately and worked efficiently to clean up the mess and ensure the safety of residents. Every member of those departments is to be commended for their efforts.

If there is any blame to place then, it should be on the utility companies, which, in Harvard, is National Grid. Certainly, countless New England residents and politicians as high-ranking as Governor Patrick have called into question the speed with which the electric companies restored power to their customers.

In Harvard, Sicard and other emergency personnel have said that National Grid's inefficiency and unwillingness to work with the town stymied local recovery efforts.

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley has called for a formal investigation of "the [power] companies' restoration efforts, including their preparedness for this storm as well as their communications with local officials and customers in its aftermath." Based on the testimony of Harvard officials alone, it's clear that a full investigation is warranted. But, it must also be appreciated that restoring power to over a million customers is no easy task and analyzing that response is just as complicated. Before jumping to conclude National Grid and the other utilities are at fault, let the investigation run its course. Perhaps it will find nothing else could be done to speed up the restoration of power. If negligence and inefficiency are found, however, the power companies must work immediately to rectify the situation before a storm like October's hits again.

In the meantime, if you see a member of the Harvard Fire Department, Harvard Police Department, or Department of Public Works, thank him or her for being ready to jump into action to help this community weather another storm.