Once again in 2024, U.S. power utilities got an unwelcomed reminder of the disruptions of devastating weather events, punctuated by the above-average Atlantic hurricane season accurately predicted. Coming off that assault from deadly hurricanes Beryl, Debby and the one-two punch of Helene and Milton — knocking out power to millions of homes and businesses — there’s a new warning power providers in vulnerable areas should heed: Buckle up for another potentially rocky ride this year.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration expects a six-in-10 chance of an above-normal hurricane season, which traditionally runs from June 1 through November. That administrative overseer of the National Weather Service forecasts that of 13 to 19 total named storms, six to 10 will become hurricanes packing winds of at least 74 mph. Three to five of those will be major hurricanes Category 3 — winds exceeding 111 mph — or stronger. Of 14 tropical storms that crop up during an average year, half spin into hurricanes, based on weather records dating from 1991 to 2020.
While power utilities always think preparedness, the advent of yet another hurricane season should be an urgent incentive to get robust response plans in order for when nature breaks through grid defenses. Outside of coastal areas, utilities would be equally wise to take similar measures to mitigate their own significant storms – and other fallout, including wildfires, droughts and landslides – that significantly blunt their ability to keep electricity flowing.
Pressure is mounting to invest in grid upgrades that enhance operational resiliency, as well as to marshal the resources – from boots and specialized trucks on the ground to drones in the sky – along with other technologies and essential replacement parts such as poles and transformers.
It’s about being proactive and reactive, leveraging the expertise of a critical infrastructure solutions provider to formulate a multi-dimensional game plan.
Before the Storm
Last year’s hurricane destruction simply added to already staggering stats: Since 1980, the United States now has sustained 403 weather and climate disasters in which damages and costs of each has been at least $1 billion, according to NOAA. The total bill — an astounding $2.915 trillion.
Persisting challenges range from chronically aging infrastructure to the growing need to integrate renewable energy onto the grid, all while maintaining robust, yearlong vegetation management programs that protect above-ground power lines. As a consultancy and resiliency expert with more than a century of expertise in the power sector, Black & Veatch has seen many power providers take emergency preparedness very seriously, often regularly doing exercises to test and hone their reactions to hypothetical storm scenarios. Black & Veatch’s 2024 Electric Report – based on a survey of more than 700 U.S. electric sector stakeholders – shows holistic storm readiness to be a work in progress. One-quarter of respondents don’t do climate-related disaster scenario planning to prepare for potential disruptive weather events, while nearly one in four don’t explicitly factor climate risk into their planning. That said, power providers should consider enlisting experts in climate risk modeling with predictive analytics that can reveal when existing infrastructure and physical assets may be at risk in the near and long term – and help inform what, where and when to prioritize climate risk mitigation measures. In the meantime, utilities should:
Review and update their emergency response plans to ensure strong collaboration with federal, state and local emergency management agencies.
Ensure their plans outline their personnel and resource management processes.
Conduct exercises and role-playing hypothetical storm scenarios, ferreting out any response gaps and learning how to better stay atop weather reports, heeding any shifts in an approaching storm’s track to position recovery assets at staging areas ahead of landfall.
Engage local, regional and statewide first responders to ensure everyone is following the same playbook.
When possible, maintain stockpiles of resources such as transformers, poles and other essential repair supplies.
Ensure tools are in place to communicate the status of their systems effectively during a crisis.
After the Storm
As much as powerful storms throw at a vulnerable grid, power utilities can and should respond in kind with everything at their disposal. That starts with thoughtful, technology-driven management of resources, information and personnel under a multi-pronged approach involving digital and physical innovations.
Black & Veatch – and its Bird Electric subsidiary, specializing in storm restoration after extreme weather events – has been a leader in disaster response solutions, from guiding the proactive path toward readiness to being on the front lines of the life-sustaining pushes to get power back on.
Think of it as a full suite of services, steeped in integrated innovations. Such things as digital mapping leveraging advanced analytics capabilities using geospatial technology, along with resource and incident management software, state-of-the-art mobile field command posts that are game changers in restoring power and order, and pop-up “base camps.”
In the end, readiness holds much of the key in ensuring how ultimately the storm response unfolds. While no storm is alike, utilities should make being proactive a priority in setting up the reaction, understanding that significant missteps can fuel public and political pressure along with serious, sometimes preventable scrutiny and scorn.
