Note: This news release was published today by the Edison Electric Institute.

WASHINGTON (March 21, 2012) – The Edison Electric Institute today awarded Alabama Power with the association’s “Emergency Recovery Award” for successful power restoration efforts after 30 tornadoes struck the region in late April 2011.

The award is presented annually to U.S. and foreign-based member companies that faced disastrous circumstances caused by unpredictable weather events and put forth an exceptional effort to restore power to customers.  Winners were chosen by a panel of judges following an international nomination process, and the awards were presented during EEI’s Spring CEO meetings.

On April 27, 2011, the two-wave storm raked through Alabama Power’s service territory, with the first wave leaving 270,767 customers without power early that morning.  Service crews raced to restore power to 94,000 customers before the second wave hit.  After the second wave swept through the area, the number of outages soared to 412,229 or 29 percent of Alabama Power’s customer base.

With scores of communities reeling from the devastation wrought by the tornadoes, Alabama Power quickly expanded its recovery efforts.  Downed trees and power lines and scattered debris made it difficult for workers to make their way to devastated areas.  As workers fought through grueling 16 hour shifts to restore power, Alabama Power was able to get 99 percent of customers back online within 7 days, exceeding restoration goals. 

Paramount to Alabama Power’s successful emergency response was the constant monitoring of the weather patterns as forecasters delivered them.  After the National Weather Service forecasted an “Armageddon weather event”, Alabama Power immediately called in additional contract crews.  By the time the second wave of storms hit, the company had already secured 1,562 additional personnel.  With the help of EEI’s Mutual Assistance contacts and other resource teams, Alabama Power was able to ultimately secure 6,959 additional support personnel, essentially doubling the size of the company’s normal workforce. 

“Alabama Power proved once again that with their effective planning methods, they are able to handle major restoration efforts in a time of crisis,” EEI President Tom Kuhn said.  “With the help of dedicated line workers – many of whom worked through nights and difficult weather conditions – this restoration effort was outstanding.”

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For Information Contact:

Leah Dow, 202-508-5489