22nd Edition
Outage Resilience, Response and Restoration Management
Energize strategies to improve outage preparedness and learn crucial lessons from recent incidents to reduce future outage duration and expedite restoration
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Read now this exclusive pre-conference interview with Antoinette Benson, Program Manager, Emergency Preparedness and Business Continuity at Sacramento Municipal Utility District. Antoinette, is a speaker in the marcus evans 22nd Edition Outage Resilience, Response & Restoration Management Conference, March 5-7, 2024, at Atlanta, GA.
In this interview, the discussion opens with an exploration of the overarching challenges within Outage Resilience and Response. The interviewee is prompted to identify the most pressing issues currently faced in this dynamic field. Following this, the conversation shifts to real-world scenarios, specifically delving into the key challenges experienced during recent extreme weather events. The interviewee reflects on their firsthand experiences, shedding light on the intricacies of managing outages in adverse conditions. Moving forward, the focus turns to proactive measures as Antoinette discusses the strategies they have implemented to enhance the management of these challenges. This segment aims to uncover innovative approaches and best practices that contribute to continuous improvement. Lastly, the our esteemed conference speaker is invited to share their perspective on the unique format of the conference – an informal and intimate peer-led gathering of senior executives from top utilities. The discussion explores how the marcus evans event format facilitates collaborative problem-solving, offering a platform for executives to collectively overcome challenges through shared experiences and insights. Enjoy reading this interview.
March 5-7, 2024
Atlanta, GA
Antoinette will be a keynote speaker on day 1 of the Outage Resilience, Response & Restoration Management Conference
For registration pricing and multiple attendees discounts, please contact:
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An Exclusive Interview with Antoinette Benson - Program Manager, Emergency Preparedness and Business Continuity at Sacramento Municipal Utility District
Case Study: Analyze lessons learned from recent storms and weather-related incidents to improve outage resilience and response
- Explore how decision-making processes can be improved following recent storm-related outages.
- Discuss mistakes made within resource allocation during emergencies and how to improve these processes going forward.
- Action lessons learned from post-event reviews and how to implement these lessons to avoid making the same mistakes in future.
1. What would you say is the biggest challenge right now within Outage Resilience and Response?
The most pressing challenge within outage resilience and response currently involves developing plans to effectively respond to unpredictable and unprecedented weather events.
2. What were some of the key challenges you faced during recent extreme weather events?
During recent extreme weather events, we faced challenges with widespread outages, straining resources. Ensuring adequate human resources and stock for restoration was crucial. Coordinating with response teams and maintaining visibility on the network proved complex. Communicating accurate estimated restoration times to customers, securing timely mutual assistance from other utilities facing the same/similar events, and having trained personnel to serve as liaisons between SMUD and County/State EOCs were also key challenges.
3. What strategies have you implemented to help you improve management of these challenges going forward?
To address challenges in outage response, we’ve implemented multiple key strategies to enhance the customer experience while we response to unprecedented events. Key strategies include flexible staffing availability that enables the ability to adjust internal resources to support field response and recovery, and our representation at the County and State EOC’s as unprecedented weather events occur. We have also established a dedicated centralized storm response room for field response coordination and made changes to our customer-facing outage reporting to ensure more accurate and timely information to our customers.
4. Are there any areas that you’re focusing on in terms of investment for support with your outage response and restoration management plans over the next 6 months?
Over the next six months, our key investment areas for outage response and restoration management include the Outage Management System (OMS). We are also prioritizing the testing of new storm response processes and procedures
5. In terms of our format, (as you know our conferences are informal and intimate peer-led meetings where all speakers and delegates are senior executives from top utilities), how do you see this assisting you with overcoming the challenges you currently face?
Many other utility companies are facing the same challenges. The networking and information shared during the meetings will be instrumental in considering all possibilities.
