POWER October 2019 - 52

COMMENTARY
Hurricane Dorian Provides
Real-Life Test of Upgraded
Storm Systems
Aaron Zahn
A
s Hurricane Dorian made its slow progression up Florida's
east coast in September, the state's 21.3 million
residents waited in anticipation for what the Category 5
storm would bring. While, thankfully, most of Florida was left
relatively unscathed except for minor damage due to storm
surge and dangerous winds, Jacksonville-based JEA was prepared
for the worst. In fact, JEA was more prepared for this
hurricane than ever before. As the first major hurricane of the
2019 Atlantic hurricane season, Dorian tested JEA's upgraded
storm preparation systems put in place after hurricanes Matthew
and Irma, without causing widespread disruption.
Every major hurricane is an opportunity for utilities to gather
performance data, assess what worked, and make improvements
in advance of the next storm. JEA learned valuable lessons
after being hit by two major hurricanes in 2016 and 2017,
and we were able to harness those challenges into new solutions
in time for Dorian.
Problems Resulting from Hurricanes
Matthew and Irma
Due to power outages at water treatment plants during Hurricane
Matthew in 2016, millions of gallons of sewage water
were unfortunately released into area waterways. Additionally,
extreme winds and weather conditions during the storm made
it unsafe for JEA employees to work for a period of time. This
left a number of the lift stations without power and unable to
function until the weather conditions improved and JEA crews
could resume work. Recreational activities such as swimming
and fishing had to be barred in affected waterways until regulatory
compliance limits were reached.
Every major hurricane is an opportunity
for utilities to gather
performance data, assess what
worked, and make improvements
in advance of the next
storm.
One year later, Hurricane Irma left nearly 280,000 JEA customers
without power. And while our pace of restoration was
generally applauded, we experienced criticism from some in
our community-including city officials-on our post-storm
customer communications efforts. Many customers reported
being told by JEA that their power had been restored only to
return home and find the lights still out.
JEA's storm recovery efforts fell short of the commitment we
made to our community. Needless to say, we had work to do.
52
Turning Challenges into Opportunities
The troubles experienced during hurricanes Matthew and Irma
offered some lessons for JEA. Consequently, the utility implemented
the following enhancements:
■ System hardening. In the past five years, JEA has invested
hundreds of millions of dollars in hardening our electric,
water, and sewer systems to make them more resistant
to major storms. After Matthew, JEA began a multi-phased
improvement process to review our wastewater system
and expand backup generation plans to improve system
responses. At water treatment plants and lift stations, specifically,
JEA invested in hardening the electric system that
services those facilities and activating mobile generators
that can be deployed after a storm.
■ Utilize smart technology. To help restore power faster following
major storms, JEA invested in new technology such as
drones to better assess damage. Drone technology allowed
JEA to assess the entire electric system within 24 hours
after Hurricane Irma, helping us prioritize power restoration.
Additionally, we continue to install new smart meters to
help better pinpoint power outages at individual addresses.
■ Rethink customer communications plan. Many of JEA's
customers were dissatisfied with our outage communications
post-Hurricane Irma. We needed to do better. JEA assembled
a cross-function team of more than 20 employees
to streamline our customer communications before, during,
and after a storm. The result? A multi-channeled, customer-focused
process, which goes into effect during a major
storm event. Restoration 1-2-3 focuses on JEA's actions during
each phase of storm restoration and acknowledges the
key role customers play in efforts to restore power safely
and as quickly as possible when massive outages occur due
to a major storm. As an added benefit, JEA's overall storm
communications plan allows us to stay in lockstep with City
of Jacksonville officials and first responders.
While JEA customers fortunately did not experience widespread
power disruption across our services territory as a result
of Hurricane Dorian, we were able to examine new storm
preparedness strategies in real time. I'm proud of how our
2,000 employees worked together, and with our city officials
and sister agencies, to prepare our city for any potential impact
of Hurricane Dorian. Everyone played a crucial role-from the
linemen trimming tree canopies in neighborhoods ahead of the
storm to our communications team disseminating Restoration
1-2-3 content across our media channels-and brought true
value to our customers, community, and the environment. ■
-Aaron Zahn is managing director and CEO with JEA, a community-owned
power and water utility serving northeast Florida
including the city of Jacksonville.
www.powermag.com
POWER | October 2019
http://www.powermag.com
POWER October 2019

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