As we all witnessed, 2020 and 2021 brought extreme weather and environmental conditions across the country, from hurricanes in the Gulf and Atlantic, to wildfires across the west, and significant windstorms in the midwest and northeast.

During this same period, COVID-19 was impacting just about every aspect of daily life in the U.S., including the routine operations of the nation’s electric utility companies. This had the potential to create a perfect storm of challenges that could negatively impact response to weather and environmental-related system damage and service disruptions.

To respond to these challenges, AEIC’s Operations, Logistics, and Technology teams led an effort to establish and share industry best practices for storm response during a pandemic. Manageable and scalable plans were developed, which enabled utilities to prepare for, and respond effectively to, hazards and various magnitudes of system damage within a pandemic environment. These best practices were used by