In the hours before, during and after a severe storm, O&R follows a well-rehearsed Storm Plan procedure so customers won't be kept in the dark.

With advanced warning of a major storm, we:

• Alert customers who are in O&R's Life Support Equipment Program to make arrangements in the event of possible power outages.
• Top off fuel tanks and stock vehicles with repair materials.
• Notify municipal and state officials of our activity, in case they have special concerns.
• Alert all employees, contractors and nearby utilities, so they'll be ready to respond around-the-clock. In some cases, we suspend employees' scheduled vacations.

When the storm hits, we're ready:

• Nearly all employees, cross-trained in storm response tasks, are prepared to turn from their regular jobs to help restore power. It's an "all hands on deck" response.
• Specially trained workers, who routinely are not in the field, are reassigned to locate and monitor downed wires to ensure public safety.
• Others are on standby to actually repair damage to low-voltage service lines.
• Still others move to the O&R Call Center to help handle the expected high volume of customer calls.

During major storm events, all recovery activities are coordinated through our Storm Center where:

• Field reports are received and assessed for severity of damage.
• Repair crews are dispatched, including those not normally assigned to the storm-damaged area.
• Local officials are notified of any special problems in their communities.
• O&R liaison employees are deployed to county Emergency Management offices and other key locations to help coordinate public safety measures.
• Contractors and crews from neighboring utilities are given safety briefings and assigned repairs in heavily damaged communities.
• O&R's Community Response Team members are sent to municipal offices in severely affected communities to provide direct assistance to government officials and customers.
• Radio stations and other media are kept updated on damage reports, restoration progress and safety advisories.
• Following every major storm event, a detailed "lessons-learned" meeting is conducted and, as necessary, Storm Plan procedures are further improved.