New Technology Enhances DLC’s Storm Response
Storm Manager makes it easier to request, deploy and manage external resources during severe weather events
When a powerful storm moved through the Pittsburgh region this past March, nearly 170,000 DLC customers were left without power. Restoration efforts were quickly mobilized, supported by a newly deployed technology that’s improving how DLC responds to severe weather.
Storm Manager is an advanced resource coordination platform that enables the rapid request, deployment and management of external resources who are brought in to help safely restore customers.
Faster Response When It Matters Most
Within minutes of DLC issuing a request for support during the March storm, crews from across the country and even Canada began responding. Within 30 minutes, external resources were secured and en route to Pittsburgh.
In total, approximately 480 external personnel joined 145 local crew members, who continue to serve as the essential core of our field operations unit at DLC, during both storms and blue sky days. This rapid mobilization represents a meaningful improvement over traditional mutual assistance processes, which can take up to 24 hours to fully coordinate.
By compressing what was once an hours-long process into minutes, Storm Manager enabled faster restoration and ultimately improved service for customers.
Strengthening Grid Resilience
The early success of Storm Manager reflects DLC’s broader commitment to enhancing grid resilience. In fact, this work is part of a comprehensive resilience strategy focused on strengthening restoration capabilities, leveraging digital tools and improving coordination to better serve customers and communities.
“This new technology is an important step in building a more resilient grid,” said Mike Watts, DLC’s director of operations applications. “These types of technology investments provide additional tools for us to scale our response in real time, ensuring we’re better prepared to handle the increasing frequency and intensity of severe weather across our service territory.”
Delivering on a Commitment
Following stronger and more frequent storms in recent years, DLC committed to increasing response efforts during major outages, including securing up to 2,000 external contractors when needed.
Storm Manager plays a critical role in delivering on that commitment by modernizing a previously manual, time-intensive process into a more efficient and responsive system. Building on this initial deployment, plans are underway to expand the platform’s capabilities to include additional functions such as vegetation management and damage assessment.
These advanced technologies are helping to create a more resilient, responsive energy system – one designed to deliver reliable service to our valued customers under a wide range of conditions.
