Ken Silverstein EnergyBiz Insider Editor-in-Chief

It would also confront the spirit of the energy companies that are the backbone of every community. It's a direct challenge to their core missions -- to provide service to customers and under the most difficult circumstances. It's all about resolve. And utilities routinely come through.

Entergy Corp. is now undergoing its most enduring ordeal. At its peak, 1.1 million of its customers were without power in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Now, the majority of those in Louisiana are back on line while all of those in Mississippi now have electricity. The strategy: begin with the least affected areas and progress to the most devastated, as circumstances permit. But never put workers in harm's way.

"Employee moral is critical," says Arthur Wiese, vice president of corporate communications for the New Orleans-based utility. "The entire workforce had been traumatized and one-seventh of it had been uprooted. Our message to employees has been, 'you may not have a home but you still have a job and benefits and we will make sure you have a home in the interim period.'" His comments came during a conference call last week sponsored by the Association of Energy Service Professionals.

New Orleans is geographically situated in a precarious position. It is encircled by the Mississippi River, Lake Pontchartrain and marsh land, as well as being below sea level. Over the past seven years, seven major hurricanes and ice storms have threatened it. But, Hurricane Katrina was the worst, knocking out four times as many customers as any storm prior to it. In all, 3,000 miles of transmission service went out while 30,000 miles of distribution lines suffered and 263 substations malfunctioned.

A few days before the hurricane, Entergy's experienced workforce was warned that Katrina's 145 mile-an-hour winds could come ashore. In keeping with tradition, the corporate structure collapsed to facilitate decision-making. Power then shifted to a centralized disaster-response team that is given the authority to carry out the utility's mission. Those on the front lines decide how to complete the challenge.

A pre-dedicated command center had been set up in Jackson, Mississippi. The storm management team then established 40-50 separate staging areas from which to springboard into action. Altogether, at least 1,200 workers from all over the country helped prosecute the storm and calm the fears of customers, who phoned into call service centers around the Southeast -- to the tune of 200,000 in one day alone.

Crisis Mode

Tent cities, gymnasiums and churches, meantime, were used to house all those trying to battle the damages. Thousands of meals had to be served. Clothes had to be washed and transportation fuel provided. "The logistics to support this was overpowering," says Jim Raleigh, director of support services for Entergy, during the conference call.

But how do the varied and disparate divisions of the utility communicate with each other when all power has been lost and the phones do not operate? Entergy, which arranged for its workers to evacuate to other areas, created a Web-based system whereby those at the nerve center could get out their messages. It also maintained its online employee newsletter to provide financial reassurance to workers and to lift spirits.

That's natural disaster preparedness 101. When any utility enters crisis mode "war rooms" are formed and meetings begin with key personnel. Together, the group decides whether resources will be deployed and if so, where and to what extent.

If necessary, reserve linemen are culled from the ranks of other utilities, as well as contracting firms. Vendors are also phoned, which work to ensure that all necessary parts and equipment are in place before Mother Nature hits. And decisions are being made as to how to allocate resources up until the moment of impact. Entergy understands that good restoration and good communication go hand-in-hand. In all such situations, it must serve its internal and external audiences. In the case of Hurricane Katrina, it selected key messages and emphasized them over and over again.

"Repetition is the key to success in mass communications and it is certainly so when there is confusion, uncertainty and fear on the public's part," says media specialist Wiese.

Most companies rehearse their disaster-mitigation procedures. But the real lessons are learned in the heat of the battle. Plans would not work without broad cooperation. It is one thing for a company's management to prepare an emergency-response plan and it is another for them to execute it. All employees set aside their daily routines and perform necessary functions while the utility is in duress.

The toughest workers, no doubt, are the linemen at the tip of the spear. They are literally in the eye of the storm and are the ones shimmying up the poles and stringing wires for miles. They cope with flood ravaged neighborhoods, fallen trees and anxious customers. Hurricanes bring out the best in them: They work endless hours. Steel bonds form among those in the trenches and the customers appreciate their dedication. After Katrina, one lineman died in the line of duty.

"I believe the guys would work for free because they feel so appreciated by the people who they help," says Eric Thigpen, a lineman for Progress Energy in Wilmington, N.C., in a previous talk with this writer. "It's a job you gotta love."

But the job is not finished once the disaster passes and every customer has power. The painstaking process of critiquing the performance of company personnel is essential. Without it, improvement remains elusive.

True Colors

Entergy says it has come through because it has learned from previous disasters. As such, it is always in a state of readiness. And after each hurricane or ice storm, it evaluates what was done and what could have been done and then analyzes the variance. Specifically, it reviews which regions asked for help and which departments aided in that effort and whether every cog in the process functioned.

That same type of analysis will occur among federal, state and local agencies, which have been blamed for ineptitude and sluggishness -- all in the wake of human suffering. And while the early response was clearly insufficient, all hands are on deck now and the collective dedication is palpable.

"Serious mistakes were made at the federal, state and local levels," says Entergy's Wiese. "But, given the hurricane's unprecedented nature and what has been required, there has been a lot of unfair criticism."

Natural disasters are a time when public officials and utility officials alike demonstrate their true mettle. Utilities have proved time and again that they thrive while in crisis mode. It is part of unwritten pledge and one that honors public service above all else.

For far more extensive news on the energy/power visit:  http://www.energycentral.com .

Copyright © 1996-2005 by CyberTech, Inc. All rights reserved.