The year 2020 will be remembered for unprecedented events that will shape our world for years to come. One familiar challenge to Alabama – severe weather – had an outsized impact this year with numerous storms creating havoc throughout the state.

Alabama Power and its storm team adjusted operations to ensure they were operating within COVID-19 best practices while safely and efficiently responding to some of the most significant weather events in state history. All told, in 2020 the company replaced 3,847 poles, 17,761 spans of wire and 31 transmission structures with support from more than 10,000 outside personnel from 25 states and Canada.

“Our storm team performed well in a number of challenging situations to safely restore power to the communities we serve and beyond,” said Scott Moore, Alabama Power’s senior vice president of Power Delivery. “Following a record-setting storm season, we are continuing to improve upon our storm response plans while making strategic decisions to strengthen our system to deliver the best service for our customers.”

Alabama Power ending 2020 stronger, urges customers to stay weather aware from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.

In January, severe weather and tornadoes tore through central Alabama, causing damage and power outages primarily along the Interstate Highway 20 corridor. Within days, Alabama Power had restored power to all affected customers.

Alabama, like much of the country, began to see the impact of COVID-19 in March. The company implemented best practices in accordance with guidance from the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention and state and local health officials to ensure the safety of customers and field crews.

These new protocols and measures would soon be put to the test.

On April 12, at least 24 tornadoes touched down statewide. One of the hardest-hit areas was Blount County, where four tornadoes, including an EF2 with winds of at least 111 mph, caused extensive damage. Crews from Alabama Power operated at a safe social distance and helped repair more than 312,000 outages caused by the storms.

While Alabama Power answered the call to restore power within the company’s service territory, the company also supported other utilities and communities by traveling to regions affected by severe weather. Alabama Power provided assistance to utilities in their time of need, including in New Jersey following Tropical Storm Isaias and in Illinois after a damaging derecho wind event. The company’s storm team assisted utilities in Texas and Louisiana after Category 4 Hurricane Laura and again in Texas following Hurricane Delta.

Alabama Power responded to numerous outages caused by severe weather in 2020. (Wynter Byrd / Alabama NewsCenter)

“We understand the importance of industry support when we are working to get the lights back on for our customers following a significant weather event,” said Kristie Barton, Power Delivery general manager. “We were fortunate to have the opportunity to return the support this year on several occasions.”

This year’s hurricane season saw the second-highest number of hurricanes recorded in a single year, including six major hurricanes.

In September, Hurricane Sally became the first since Ivan in 2004 to make landfall on the Alabama coast. More than 680,000 outages occurred as a result of Sally, with Alabama Power orchestrating a multiday restoration effort. The storm team worked safely around the clock to replace damaged infrastructure and restore service for customers.

In October, Alabama Power experienced the third-worst storm in its history. Hurricane Zeta, a fast-moving Category 2, caused damage from the Gulf Coast to northeast Alabama. Zeta’s impact was similar to what Alabama Power experienced during Hurricane Katrina and the April 2011 tornado outbreak. The storm knocked out service to nearly one-third of all Alabama Power customers.

Zeta’s tropical storm-force winds caused significant tree damage throughout the state, requiring a large-scale assessment and cleanup as part of restoration. Some conditions called for specialized equipment and manual operations, such as linemen climbing poles to replace poles and wire.

The company once again coordinated a multiday restoration effort, working through treacherous conditions, to safely and efficiently get the power flowing back to customers.

In the year ahead, Alabama Power encourages customers to stay weather aware, review family storm plans and restock emergency preparedness kits. During severe weather events, customers can receive the latest updates on AlabamaPower.com, AlabamaNewsCenter.com, company social media channels or by downloading the Alabama Power mobile app.