Outreach event bolsters coordination between utilities, local emergency officials during hurricanes and extreme weather
When disasters strike, coordination between utilities and emergency leaders is critical to rapid recovery. To strengthen preparedness across Southeast Texas, Entergy Texas hosted state and local emergency management leaders — including members of the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT), the Texas Military Department and Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) — at its Montgomery County Power Station for a day of collaboration and relationship building.
The PUCT’s emergency management team coordinates outreach events with local utilities throughout the year to connect emergency management officials with power providers in their region.
Entergy Texas serves more than 538,000 customers across 27 counties in Southeast Texas, a region that experiences severe weather and hurricane threats.
During major storms, close coordination between utilities and emergency officials helps safely speed up the power restoration process and ensures communities receive accurate and timely information.
“Local emergency managers need to know who to call 24/7 — have that contact number in their phone. Time spent looking for the right contact delays response time,” said Kelly Taylor, emergency management coordinator for the Public Utility Commission of Texas. “These events also educate emergency management leaders on how the energy industry works, what the PUCT does, and role we play in emergency preparedness, response, and recovery.”
During the visit, participants learned about Entergy Texas’ incident response procedures, resiliency planning (including wildfire mitigation), and infrastructure investments strengthening the Southeast Texas power grid against severe weather.
The group toured the Montgomery County power station, a 993-megawatt power plant that provides energy to more than 184,000 homes.
“It’s always valuable to bring emergency management personnel into our facilities on a blue-sky day so that when a disaster occurs, we already know each other and can respond effectively for our customers,” said Stuart Barrett, vice president of customer service for Entergy Texas. “By working alongside emergency management officials and the PUCT, we can achieve better outcomes for the communities we serve.”
The group also toured Entergy Texas’ Mobile Command Center and viewed an “Arcs and Sparks” safety demonstration about the dangers of approaching downed power lines.
To learn more about how Entergy Texas prepares for and responds to severe weather, visit entergy.com/stormcenter.
— Brittany Ford, Entergy Texas Communications
