On June 4, members of six southeastern utilities gathered inside the foyer of the Rayburn House Office Building near the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., as a part of the Congressional Hurricane Preparedness and Recovery Symposium.

The event, hosted by the Edison Electric Institute and the co-chairs of the Congressional Disaster Preparedness & Recovery Caucus, was aimed at educating members of Congress and staff about hurricane preparedness and response from the electric industry.

The six utility companies present for the symposium were Dominion Energy, Duke Energy, Entergy, Florida Power & Light, Southern Company and TECO Energy. Representatives were present from Southern Company, Alabama Power and Georgia Power.

Alabama Power is part of the Southeastern Electric Exchange, one of seven regional assistance groups that serves a part of the United States. During times of natural disasters such as hurricanes or strong storms, members of the group will send assistance to help fellow members in recovery efforts and power restoration.

“Collaboration — that’s really a key in our industry, especially when it comes to mutual assistance and storm restoration,” said Corey Sweeney, Alabama Power’s manager of storm center operations. “Having those partners in place and a good relationship with them is imperative. It’s a well-oiled machine. It works great. We’re able to get our customers back on in a much more timely manner by being a member of a group like this.”

Sweeney was a representative for Alabama Power at the symposium alongside Watson Donald, Alabama Power’s director of corporate stakeholder strategy. Sweeney said attending the event is very important in ensuring that members of Congress are educated to better understand how utilities collaborate around restoration efforts.

“It’s of the utmost importance that the Caucus is knowledgeable and up to date on the process and for us to have a good relationship with them and answer any questions that they may have,” Sweeney said. “They need to be up to speed on the process so they can answer questions from their constituents. We’re here to help them do that.”

June 1 marked the beginning of hurricane season, with this year showing forecasted record highs for potential hurricanes. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the outlook for the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season predicts an 85% chance of an above-normal season with as many as 17-25 total named storms — including four to seven major hurricanes.

Symposium attendees talk in front of the Alabama Power table at the symposium’s Storm Preparedness Showcase. (Edison Electric Institute)

With such a strong outlook and the potential dangers that come along with it, it is more important than ever that both utilities and government officials are knowledgeable and prepared for the potential for severe weather.

“I think it’s incredibly helpful,” Donald said. “The elected officials and staff in attendance learned a lot about how we work with other utilities and what we do with mutual assistance agreements. It’s incredible to see how the utilities band together to help those who are most in need, and this event offered an opportunity to showcase those efforts so those elected officials understand the impact of this work on their districts. EEI did a great job of pulling utilities together to highlight the capabilities of our industry.”

At the symposium, EEI hosted a Storm Preparedness Showcase, giving the utilities an opportunity to display what part they play in hurricane preparedness. Each institution present set up a booth, educating staff and members of Congress on the subject.

Southern Company’s booth offered informational brochures while playing a video that showed various recovery efforts from recent years. Hard hats from Southern Company, Alabama Power and Georgia Power graced the table — alongside a toy bucket truck.

Following the showcase were remarks made by Scott Aaronson, who serves as EEI’s senior vice president for security & preparedness, as well as the four co-chairs of the Congressional Disaster Preparedness & Recovery Caucus: Rep. Troy Carter (D-Louisiana), Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-Florida), Rep. Nancy Mace (R-South Carolina) and Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Florida).

“EEI and our member companies are working closely with our industry and government partners on mitigation, preparation and response plans for extreme weather events,” Aaronson said in a statement. “We are committed to being there and ready to go when these disasters occur. We appreciate the work being done by the bipartisan Congressional Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Caucus to help prepare and protect communities across the country from natural disasters. The value of this industry-government partnership and the need to remain vigilant cannot be overstated.”

To learn more about how you can prepare for hurricane season, visit Alabama Power’s website.

EEI senior vice president Scott Aaronson addresses attendees at the Congressional Hurricane Preparedness and Recovery Symposium. (Edison Electric Institute)