A local power company has launched a new website that they hope will be helpful for its employees and members.
Dixie Electric Power Communication Manager Lydia Walters said the crisis management site has been in the works for about a year, and it was a two-fold process.
“Our website vender out of Atlanta presented the crisis management center website to us, and we coordinated the timing with our new outage viewer,” Walters said.
The website includes information on how to prepare for natural disasters that are common in our area as well as generator safety for when the lights do go out.
Phone numbers to report outages are also listed, and can be activated directly from the site on a smartphone. The other aspect of the new site is the outage viewer.
“The outage viewer is a direct result of our members calling to report outages,” Walters said.
There is a map of the area, and when an outage is reported, a blue dot appears in the general location. For safety, only highway names are shown, and only general locations are given. Once the call has been dispatched, a yellow hard hat appears next to the blue dot to ensure members that help is on the way. It’s updated automatically every five minutes.
“When you call, our system automatically recognizes your phone number and once you confirm that you’re reporting the outage for your address, it goes to the dispatcher,” Walters said.
Since it originates with members, after several calls in one area, the outage viewer system makes predictions of which line has the problem.
That information further helps linemen find the outage quicker. Walters said there are multiple benefits for members of the online outage viewer.
“I think the main thing is the confirmation that they know someone is coming,” Walters said. “Also, in a major outage, say a tornado or hurricane or something, it would be beneficial if you had to evacuate to know when your power had been restored.”
Dixie Electric Crisis Management Site
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