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HOW WE PLAN FOR AND
PREPARE TO DEAL WITH AN OUTAGE
HOW DO WE DECIDE WHOSE POWER TO RESTORE FIRST?
WHEN WILL YOUR POWER BE RESTORED?
WHAT SHOULD YOU
DO IF YOUR POWER GOES OUT?
WHAT IF YOUR NEIGHBOR'S POWER HAS BEEN RESTORED
BUT YOURS IS STILL
OFF?
HELP CWLP HELP YOU BY UPDATING YOUR
CWLP ACCOUNT INFORMATION
How we plan for and prepare to deal with an outage
When a large number of outages occur, there are many logistical details that
must be worked out both before power restoration can begin and as it is being carried out. CWLP has a detailed emergency response plan in
place for dealing with these logistical concerns and prioritizing
restoration work. After outage events, utility officials review and, if
necessary, modify the plan based on lessons learned from each event.
Power restoration logistical planning begins as soon as the utility becomes aware of impending extreme weather. Staffing at the utility's Dispatch Center is increased to handle incoming phone calls and line crews are placed on alert. When an outage occurs, crews begin damage assessment as soon as it is safe to do so. Depending on the severity of the damage and how widespread it is, this process can take anywhere from several hours to several days, and often continues after power restoration work is well underway.
Again, depending on the severity of the damage, another early step in the logistical process might involve issuing a request for assistance from other utilities. During this same time, staff members are working with suppliers to obtain poles, wire and whatever other materials will be needed to repair or replace damaged equipment. As with the damage assessment, this process is typically ongoing throughout the restoration period.
How do we decide whose power to restore first?
Often, during a widespread outage, loss of service is caused by damage to
substations or major transmission lines or towers. Damage to these types of
infrastructure components can affect thousands or even
tens of thousands of customers at a time. However, hundreds or thousands
of other storm-related outages may be more localized, occurring, for
instance, when branches fall on distribution lines that might serve anywhere from one
to a handful of customers each. During a large-scale power outage,
customers can be affected by one problem (for instance, substation damage)
or by a combination of problems (for instance, substation damage and
a downed service line). All problems affecting those customers must be
corrected before their electricity can be restored.
CWLP's service restoration plan prioritizes the work to be done by our line crews. Our first focus is on making repairs to substations, circuits and other major infrastructure components. Until these facilities are repaired, all other restoration efforts will be useless. In addition, repairing these facilities allows us to restore service to the greatest number of customers at a time. Also included in our first priority level is the restoration of service to frontline public health and safety providers.
Our second priority is to reconnect power to facilities that provide needed public services—including critical government agencies, sewage pumping stations, and buildings that can be used as public shelters. After that, in our third priority phase, we are able to concentrate on facilities (including homes and businesses) to which power was not restored as a result of the work done during priority phases one and two.
For a more detailed illustration and explanation of our prioritized service restoration plan, click here.
When will your power be restored?
We understand the frustration our customers feel when we are unable to give them
what they feel is a "reasonable" answer to the question of when their
power will be restored. Unfortunately, during a major outage, determining how long it will take to restore power to
any given area of town, neighborhood or individual customer can be
extremely difficult. This is
especially true when significant, widespread infrastructure damage has
occurred. Sometimes, the best answer we can give is that our crews are
working around the clock and will continue to do so for as long as it takes to restore power to every customer.
During major outages, the utility adopts an "all hands on deck" policy, with line crews rotating on and off shifts of up to 18 hours each. If necessary, CWLP also has the ability—through our participation in a national "mutual aid" program—to seek assistance from line crews from a number of other utilities throughout the United States.
What should you do if your power goes out?
First, call our Electric Emergency telephone number—789-2121—to report the
outage. (Attempts to report an outage by calling a different utility
number or sending an email to the CWLP Public Information email box are
not efficient ways to ensure your report will be received. Such actions
might even delay our ability to restore your power in the quickest
possible fashion.)
Depending on the volume of calls being received by our Electric Dispatch Office, your call should either be answered by one of our dispatchers or be routed through our automated answering system. During massive outages, there is a possibility that both our "live" and automated response lines could be overwhelmed, making it difficult for you to get through. Please know that we do everything possible to ensure this won't happen, but if you should experience difficulty reaching us, please try again later and keep trying until you are successful. Even during widespread outages, it is best not to assume we know your service is out. In the event of a severe storm, damage can occur not only to major infrastructure components that carry power throughout the city but also to the service wires that feed individual homes.
What if your neighbor's power
has been restored, but yours is still off?
Because of the way the electric system is set up, it is entirely possible
that nearby homes or businesses might have their power restored before
yours is. However, if you notice that your neighbors have power but your
service is still out, please call 789-2121. If your individual outage is
the result of an isolated pocket of damage or downed service wire about which we are unaware,
your call will alert us to that.
You can help us help you in the event of an outage
by updating your CWLP account information
You can help improve the efficiency with which our crews are able to
respond to an outage by making sure your customer service record is
up-to-date. When you call in an outage report to our automated phone
system, the system attempts use the telephone number you are calling from
to automatically identify your service location and compare that location
to those of other outage reports we receive. This helps us to quickly
pinpoint the affected area(s) and, possibly, the cause of the outage so we
can get repair crews working on it as quickly as possible.
So please make sure your CWLP account records are updated to include
the telephone number(s)—including home or business lines and personal cell
phones—from which you would be most likely to report your outage. To
update your records, call the Customer Service Office at 789-2030. If you
have Microsoft Word or the full version of Adobe Acrobat (NOT just Adobe
Acrobat Reader) you can also
update
your account information online. If you do not have the proper
software for submitting your updated account information online, you can
print the form, fill it in and mail or fax it to the Customer Service
Office.
Last update : 01/07/08
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