Behind the scenes: how Alabama Power restores service after big storms

From food to supplies, getting the lights back on after severe weather is a big team effort. (Alabama NewsCenter archives)
On a typical “blue sky” day, Christy Hyche analyzes and plans electrical transmission equipment for Alabama Power. That all changes when severe weather threatens the state.
“We change gears,” Hyche said. “We become customer support for the field forces, the boots on the ground. Anything they need, we’re here to help them find it.”
Hyche is one of many people at Alabama Power whose job duties change when dangerous storms occur, supporting thousands of lineworkers to safely restore service as quickly as possible. Darla Adams, an assistant in Alabama Power’s Metering Services department, says her team pauses their normal work of installing smart meters to help get evaluators where they need to be.
“We put our roles to the side and focus on evaluating and logistics,” Adams said. “We just want to be there to support the field as best we can.”
Storm restoration is a team effort from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
Evaluating and logistics are two of the key areas Adams, Hyche and others organize as part of their storm duties inside Alabama Power’s Storm Center, the central command center of the company’s storm restoration efforts. Melanie Miller, technology manager for the Power Delivery department, says the Storm Center team actually begins its work before the storm arrives.
“My team starts preparing days in advance when we know that a storm is coming to make sure that all of the technology is working effectively and efficiently,” Miller said. “That’s how we are efficient and effective at getting the lights back on.”
Some of that technology can restore power within seconds. Miller says a system called fault isolation and service restoration (FISR) automatically reroutes electricity when storms knock down trees and power lines, isolating the issue and keeping the lights on for as many people as possible.
“When that tree limb falls and your power goes out, the system – way faster than any human could – reconfigures so that customers’ lights stay on,” Miller said. “It (FISR) allows the grid to automatically readjust when faults occur.”
Communication advancements also help the Storm Team and field crews share information faster. Vicki Chaney, supervisor of the Transmission Engineering Services support group, says her team has the ability to transmit pictures and inspection data recorded by ground, drone and aerial operators in near real-time to the Storm Center. This gives dispatchers the information they need to get field crews on the scene faster and gives customers quicker estimates on when their service will be restored.
“Communication is key,” Chaney said. “Our heroes are the guys on the front lines in the bucket trucks but behind them are all of these different things that are needed. It takes every one of those roles for us to be successful.”
Organizing manpower is also a critical task in the Storm Center. On a normal day, Marty Harbert’s team in Contracts Services might have 300-400 contract personnel performing maintenance activities around the state, but when a big storm strikes, Harbert says that number can jump as high as 7,000.
“When that happens, we have to cast a much larger net to go find those resources,” Harbert said. “With the last few storms we’ve gone all the way to Canada, Michigan, Arizona and Texas to find them.”

The job duties of many people at Alabama Power change when dangerous storms occur, supporting thousands of lineworkers to safely restore service as quickly as possible. Pictured left to right, top to bottom: Darla Adams, Marty Harbert, Christy Hyche, Melanie Miller, Vicki Chaney and Stephanie Freeman. (Dennis Washington / Alabama NewsCenter)
Those field crews need food and shelter. That’s where people like Stephanie Freeman step in. Freeman, who works as a finance supervisor in the Power Delivery Budgeting and Accounting department, shifts her work to logistics during storm restoration.
“They’re very appreciative of having something to eat and somewhere to sleep that’s not their truck,” Freeman said. “When they turn around, there’s a light, a portolet, a handwashing station, somewhere to sit down and somewhere to park their vehicles.”
Tying all of the tasks together is teamwork, a feat made much easier thanks to investments in technology.
“It went from years ago waiting on calls to come in from the field to now the information is at our fingertips,” said Miller. “It gives situational awareness that we never had in real-time. It’s significantly changed how we operate.”
Chaney adds that quickly restoring power after a storm results from special teamwork.
“Storm restoration is some of the most rewarding work that you will ever do, and I think part of that is because you do have a large team of folks coming together to do some good, to return people to normalcy after they have seen devastation,” Chaney said. “For us in the utility industry, this is what we can do to have the most impact. It is very rewarding work.”