Lightning Strikes and electricity pole in background

Prepping your Crew for a Hurricane

Though hurricane season spans 6 months, hurricane preparation should be a 365-day activity as the best way to be prepared for a hurricane is to always be prepared for one.  Preparing your company for hurricane season can be challenging, but the tips below can help you get started.

  1. Safety Training

You have a talented and experienced team who know how to do their jobs on a day-to-day basis, but many of these individuals might not be accustomed to dealing with hurricane conditions. Focusing on safety training for your workers is essential for their safety and your ability to quickly restore power to your consumers following a hurricane. Learning how to deal with dangerous road conditions and how to work on utility lines safely when weather conditions are less than ideal are all important.

 

  1. Stay Informed of Road Conditions

Your organisation should always stay up-to-date on local road conditions throughout the area that you service. Then, you can avoid sending your crews out when conditions are too dangerous for them to be on the roads, but you can also look for safer routes and make sure that your crews head out as soon as they are safe to do so.

Working with local law enforcement, using navigation and road condition apps, and keeping an eye on the news will help you stay aware of which roads your utility workers can and cannot use before, during, and after a storm.

 

  1. Hire Extra Workers

This might be the time of year when hiring additional workers is a good idea. You will probably need to have more workers on each shift to help with preparing for the storm and dealing with downed lines and other issues.

Some workers also may not be able to make it to work because of dangerous conditions around their homes, so having other workers on standby who can come into work if needed is also smart.

 

  1. Set Up an Emergency Fueling Station

Fuel stations in your area might close down during the storm, and many fuel stations may run out of gas as people prepare for the storm. Your utility crew can’t get out and work without fuel in their work vehicles, but you do have a solution: setting up an emergency fueling station.

You can arrange for large tanks of fuel delivery to your headquarters so that you will have ample fuel available for your company’s needs, even if you have a fuel shortage in the area. Additionally, your workers will not have to worry about potentially traveling to fuel stations that are closed, and they can avoid braving dangerous conditions to attempt to purchase fuel.

 

  1. Choose the Right Vehicles

Choosing heavy-duty vehicles higher off the ground is a good start. Additionally, some vehicles have bigger gas tanks and can go further on just one tank of fuel, which is ideal during hurricane conditions when you might have a shortage of fuel or when your drivers might have a tough time getting to a fueling station.

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