A look inside Alabama Power’s improved Storm Center
Alabama Power's redesigned Storm Center helps the company coordinate its response to severe weather faster. (Dennis Washington / Alabama NewsCenter)
The central command center of Alabama Power‘s storm restoration efforts has gotten a big upgrade.
Alabama Power’s Storm Center in downtown Birmingham was recently remodeled and reconfigured as part of an effort by the company to modernize its response to severe weather. Scott Moore, senior vice president of Power Delivery, said the upgrades came after months of discussion about how to help crews respond faster to storm damage.
“We evaluated our Storm Center and wanted to ensure it was designed with the right space for our team to do their job during a storm,” Moore said. “It was a coordinated effort, and we are better positioned for operating at the highest level.”
Alabama Power’s new Storm Center from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
Corey Sweeney, operations manager of the Storm Center, said it was redesigned to give teams the space to effectively collaborate without disrupting other operations.
“In our old Storm Center, we had just one room that most everybody was crowded into,” Sweeney said. “Now we have separate rooms for the manpower, for the logistics and for the evaluators – they have their own workstation in an environment that is the most efficient.
“Customer service is job one for all of us,” Sweeney said. “This new Storm Center has everything we need to help us respond quickly, safely and reliably.”
Another noticeable change is the new communications equipment. Each Storm Team member now has better tools to help them quickly send and receive information to and from field crews.
“We have resources from Mobile to Anniston, and it’s important that we have plans and equipment in place for successful coordination,” Moore said. “It takes an army to do this work. Our team goes to work as soon as the lights go out to get them back on. That’s something our team takes great pride in and, at Alabama Power, serving our customers will always be our top priority.”
