One of the biggest concerns facing utilities when storms are approaching is maintaining communication with community members as widespread outages occur. When storms and high-impact events interrupt electric service, municipal and elected officials also require real-time information from every corner of their jurisdiction. Ensuring relevant information for each municipality is shared promptly to maintain response coordination with municipal leaders and support faster response times is a significant challenge for any utility.
Most utilities make preparations and investments in technology to be able to provide the proper visibility and communication tools needed. One great example is when Tropical Storm Isaias barreled toward Central Hudson in August 2020. Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corporation (CHGE) prioritized preparedness by embracing the Community Portal from the DataCapable® Platform™. The Community Portal included an exclusive electric Outage & Event Map specific to each municipal jurisdiction that offered restoration information for critical facilities like hospitals and shelters and the status of emergency incidents — such as downed wires, trees, and road closures. The Community Portal also displayed critical support facilities (dry ice, bottled water distribution sites, warming centers, hospitals) and Federal Emergency Management Agency shelters during prolonged outages.
The projections made it clear: Tropical Storm Isaias was on course to hit the East Coast. With nearly 400,000 customers relying on its efficient delivery of electricity and natural gas in New York’s Hudson Valley, Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corporation was proactive in identifying the need for a faster way to communicate with key stakeholders ahead of, during, and after widespread outages and high-impact events.
By utilizing The Community Portal ahead of — and during — Tropical Storm Isaias’ impact, CHGE not only streamlined existing workflows but also expanded its operations centers’ scope and intake of information. This enhanced situational awareness provided its team with verified actionable intelligence in communities throughout its service territory and improved response time during restoration efforts.
What Happened During the Storm?
When Isaias hit, its wind gusts of more than 60 miles-per-hour pummeled the area, snapping more than 100 utility poles and nearly 1 million New Yorkers without power. With over 110,000 customers without power in CHGE’s territory alone, the storm registered as one of the most widespread events in CHGE’s history.
With The Community Portal, CHGE was able to mobilize more than 720 line workers and crews– as well as hundreds of others in various support roles — ahead of the significant grid event and stay in the loop with the latest real-time actionable intelligence during the storm.
“By utilizing The DataCapable Platform and The Community Portal, not only were we able to prepare for Hurricane Isaias before it arrived, but we were able to better respond to emergency incidents during the storm and quickly dispatch crews to ensure first responders and community residents were safe.”
– Anthony Campariogni, Vice President of Customer Services and Gas Operations
DataCapable’s Community Portal alerted Central Hudson to more than 1,170 damage locations in real-time. This actionable intelligence allowed its operations center to alert field crews and municipal leaders on relevant incidents and restoration efforts — and kept the 35,000 customers who reported their outage through Community Portal’s various channels in the loop with their response coordination.
The Impact of Improved Response Coordination & Preparedness
When adversity strikes, anxiety in the community quickly rises. By utilizing The Community Portal during Tropical Storm Isaias, CHGE’s emergency management team had a comprehensive toolset to capture, display, and communicate important information for its utility operations and streamline its response efforts.
The Community Portal allowed customers to receive and provide updates on facilities and operations status to and from key stakeholders during Tropical Storm Isaias. Utilities can quickly manage reported incidents and keep teams coordinated in real-time through efficient two-way communication tools. With pinpoint accuracy, field technicians, municipal officers, and citizens can map and report trouble spots, adding photo references so that responses can be appropriate, quick, and coordinated. As recovery begins, plans of action can easily be communicated via two-way SMS and email to stakeholders throughout the chain in a transparent, accurate, and timely manner.
“It’s vital our industry embraces digital tools like the Community Portal to better align with how customers are sharing information related to emergencies. While reporting outages via phone still serves a purpose, tools such as text message, digital chats, and more will increase accessibility and transparency to improve the overall experience for customers and key stakeholders.”
– Seamus Gorman, Director — Outage Management Services.
Streamline Your Disaster Response Coordination Today
If you’re interested in learning more about how your utility could utilize technology to improve communication between your team members, community, and necessary operations officials, request a demo.