What Happens When the Power Goes Out?
When severe weather hits Alabama, our storm response is already underway.
Behind every outage is a coordinated effort involving hundreds – and sometimes thousands – of people working together to get the lights back on safely and as quickly as possible.
It takes a team
Restoration involves much more than the lineworkers you see in the field. From our storm center and damage assessment teams to dispatchers, engineers, support crews and more, people across our company have a role to play.
Restoring power starts with the biggest needs
After a major storm, we can’t restore every outage at once. Our teams follow a restoration process that prioritizes critical facilities like hospitals, schools and government buildings before moving on to repairs that can restore power to the greatest number of customers. From there, crews continue working through smaller outages until every customer is restored.
We’re working – even when you don’t see us
If you don’t see an Alabama Power truck on your street, that doesn’t mean your outage isn’t being addressed. The source of the problem may be miles away from your home, and crews may be repairing a transmission line, substation or other equipment that has to be restored before power can reach your neighborhood.
Teams are also assessing damage, clearing hazards and coordinating repairs behind the scenes.
Some outages take longer than others
Every outage is different. Downed trees, broken poles, damaged equipment and hard-to-reach areas can all add time to repairs, and some damage requires multiple steps or crews to fix safely.
And sometimes, your power may stay off even when your neighbor’s comes back on. That’s because homes in the same neighborhood can be served by different lines or equipment.
Until every light is back on
Storm restoration can be complex, but our goal is simple: restore power safely and as quickly as we can. From the first outage to the last repair, know that our teams are working together to get you back up and running.
To learn more about our outage restoration process, visit alabamapower.com/storm.