Recently, several employees attended a planning session conducted by the US Department of Homeland Security on the topic of “Long Term Power Outages.” The training was intended for the general public, and as the title of the meeting indicates discussed how to be prepared for power outages that last a long time. I am happy to report that REC’s reliability is quite good.
Two measures that are tracked regularly are the average time of an outage (System Average Interruption Duration Index – SAIDI) and the average frequency of an outage (System Average Interruption Frequency Index – SAIFI).
REC’s latest index of these two measures show the average outage lasts about 100 minutes and occurs about once a year. These measures do not include so called major events such as the snowstorm in March of 2019.
These interruptions in electricity, while can be frustrating, seldom result in real catastrophic results, but what if the power was out for a week in the middle of January? Would you be ready?
There are many threats in today’s world that are of serious concern to the reliability of the power grid. Cyber terrorism is one threat that is at the top of the list. REC, along with state and federal agencies, is working diligently to protect the electric grid in the U.S. against cyber terrorism, physical terrorism and other threats.
So, what should you do to prepare for an extended power outage? Start with a plan.
Assuming the outage is widespread, could you manage for a week without going to the grocery store or the gas station? Do you have water available to last a week? If the outage occurred in the winter, could you heat your home sufficiently to live in it without damage? There are many resources available to help plan for emergencies such as www.ready.gov.
Locally, many churches have started efforts to manage emergencies. Counties in the Valley have emergency plan-ning committees and departments. Colorado’s Department of Homeland Security conducts regular meetings of emergency management organizations.
In spite of all those efforts, every person needs to be prepared to manage on their own for an extended period, so make a plan; discuss it with your family and have sufficient food and water for a week.