After Hurricane Isaias, restoring service to Alabama Power customers is a team effort

Last Friday night, October 9, Hurricane Isaias hit the Alabama Gulf Coast and nearby south Alabama counties with destructive force, damaging homes, businesses, schools and public facilities across the state. The storm’s hurricane status was downgraded as it moved northward through the state, but 84 percent of Alabama Power’s service area experienced tropical-storm-force winds.

More than 400,000 Alabama Power customers lost power, with the hardest-hit areas being the Alabama Gulf Coast and in southeast Alabama’s Wiregrass region. Crews began restoration work as soon as conditions were safe, continuing around the clock. Just 24 hours after restoration efforts could safely begin, crews had restored power to approximately 90% of customers affected by Hurricane Isaias.

In the hardest-hit areas, strong winds brought down trees and damaged electrical equipment. These outages can be harder to reach and take more time to repair safely, but crews remained focused on restoring every customer as quickly as possible.

“We know the days following Hurricane Isaias were difficult for many families across the area,” said Kaleb Fain, an Alabama Power lineman who lives and works in Brewton, one of the areas hit hardest by the storm. “With support from additional crews from across the country, we did everything we could to restore service as safely and quickly as possible and get these communities back on their feet.”

Like many customers in the area, Fain experienced the effects of Hurricane Isaias firsthand. He sustained significant storm damage at his own home and had to cut his way through fallen trees blocking his property before he could report to work and help restore power to others.

Alabama Power’s team was joined by more than 7,400 additional line workers from utilities in 28 states, including help from Southern Company system sister utilities Georgia Power and Mississippi Power.

The quick response began long before the storm arrived. Alabama Power’s ongoing investments in technology and infrastructure help strengthen the power grid and prepare teams to respond when severe weather hits.

In the days before the storm, Alabama Power used predictive analytics, weather modeling and outage forecasts to identify which areas could see the greatest impact. This data helped the team estimate the people and resources needed and determine where to stage crews, equipment and materials for a safe, efficient response to get customers back online quickly.

“Storm restoration at this scale is truly a team effort,” said Scott Moore, Alabama Power senior vice president of Power Delivery. “From the predictive analytics and planning that took place before the storm, to the coordination of crews, equipment and materials during restoration, every part of the organization played a role. We were grateful for the support of mutual assistance crews from across the country, including our sister companies Mississippi Power and Georgia Power. Just as important was the tremendous coordination behind the scenes by Alabama Power employees who worked around the clock to support this restoration effort and help get customers’ lights back on.”

While Alabama Power has completed restoration efforts, the company knows some families across south Alabama may still be without power and continues to keep those families, along with the utility crews working to restore service, in its thoughts. Alabama Power thanks its customers for their patience throughout restoration efforts and extends its appreciation to the employees, contractors and mutual assistance crews who worked to safely restore power.

For future storm updates and outage information, customers can visit AlabamaPower.com/storm or check the outage map at OutageMap.AlabamaPower.com.