POWERGRAMS

42 When a tornado or other major storm hits, who you gonna call? In April, Alabama Power's Bobby Hawthorne was elected as an officer on the Edison Electric Institute's Mutual Assistance/Emergency Preparedness Committee during EEI's spring meeting in Jacksonville, Florida. The committee is the guiding body for the national mutual assistance process and coordinates the efforts of the Regional Mutual Assistance Groups (RMAGs) following major storm events that impact more than one area of the country. The committee is responsible for ensuring the equitable allocation of line crew resources and support to impacted areas. Southeastern Electric Exchange (SEE) members consider themselves "storm busters," being the area RMAG. Hawthorne is the chairman of the committee for 2018, and was vice-chair and secretary the previous two years. For SEE's 59 utilities – of which Alabama Power and Southern Company are longtime members – tactical planning with mutual assistance partners ensures help is speedily on the road. Decision-makers quickly assess each storm situation, plan a course of action and gauge the resources needed to restore power as soon as possible. Assistance comes in the form of bucket trucks, line crews and equipment, based on the most pressing needs, including outages and infrastructure damage. When a tornado strikes or a hurricane emerges, one of the first actions electric utilities take is to hold a teleconference with mutual assistance partners. continued

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