STORMS: ALWAYS READY TO RESPOND

Chris Hamon, CEO

We cannot prevent disasters from happening though, if we are prepared, we can work through these situations with certainty and confidence. Regardless of the severity, we should always be ready. In the event of a storm, you can trust that White River Valley Electric Cooperative is ready to respond through a smart combination of equipment, software, and personnel.

The major cause of most power outages comes from damage to power lines due to falling trees and branches. We work year round – through our right-of-way program – to ensure power lines in the service territory stand little risk of being damaged by vegetation. Our system’s reliability also takes into account both regular maintenance and upgrades. Servicing what we already have in place and continually evaluating the network means that we are dedicated to operating to the best of our abilities and above industry standards. These practices -- including upgrading line capacity, digital meter upgrades, and pole change-outs -- provide the most dependable service for our members.

WRVEC keeps up-to-date on weather forecasting using in-house software that gathers information from models that monitor things like flooding and ice. This is a forward-looking prediction index that combines National Weather Service data to predict the footprint, accumulation, and potential damage from approaching storms. Prior to this software, prediction was extremely limited to detect potential damage to the system and estimate possible outage lengths. We can’t control the weather but we can be prepared for when it arrives.

Despite our best efforts, damage can still occur during major storms. Our first priority is to safely restore power to as many members as possible in the shortest amount of time. We start by mobilizing our line crews and other critical staff. The dispatch center is manned 24/7/365 to continually monitor data as it is received from the network. In many cases, they will get an alert on a line, pinpoint the outage, and have a crew dispatched before they even receive notification from a member. Line crews are always on-call to get service back on as quick as possible, aided by a surplus of supplies to get even the largest projects accomplished.

All of this behind-the-scenes work is necessary to help us protect you, your family, and your property from whatever Mother Nature may throw at us. As for our mission to provide you with continued safe and reliable electricity, the WRVEC saga continues.