A few weeks ago we told you about Lassen Municipal Utility District’s new text-based outage alerts. The system got a chance to prove itself right away as winter storms took down the main PG&E line, leaving LMUD’s customers in the dark.
How is the system working so far? We asked LMUD Energy Services Manager Theresa Phillips.
When we decided to give this technology a try, I was hopeful that we would have two or three hundred subscribers, what happened was far beyond my expectations. As of January 10th, over 1,300 customers have registered their mobile numbers!
It turns out that we launched the text alert service just in time. On Sunday, December 23rd, a winter storm hit Northeast California – and as you know, the power went out. The new system was put to the test.
The first text alert went out Sunday afternoon at 12:39p.m. it read, “System wide outage. PG&E has lost both main transmission lines feeding LMUD. No estimated time of restoration. We will keep you updated as we get info.”
The challenge with text alerts is we are limited to 160 characters per message. It’s difficult to tell you everything you want to know in such a limited space. Our goal is to do is give you the basic information – what, where, why and when. Keep in mind that when the power goes out messages are not automatically generated. First we have to determine what the problem is, that information is relayed from our operations center to our business office and then the text alert is sent out via the internet or mobile device.
The text alerts are strictly one-way communication. LMUD is simply sending out short blasts of important information. Many customers replied to the text alerts with questions and concerns. These messages are not sent to a mobile device or computer but are forwarded to an internet site. The messages are not seen by LMUD until much later – we have no way to respond to the messages sent to 69302.
LMUD’s customer service line, 530-257-4174, is manned 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. During an after-hours power outage, this is the only two-way communication we have with customers. Keep in mind that even though the line is manned, during heavy phone traffic you may encounter a busy signal. More than likely the information you receive from the customer service line is the same information we are sending out through text alerts.
Rest assured, when the power is out, LMUD crews are working on the problem. Even in severe weather conditions our crews are doing everything they possibly can. We all know it’s frustrating to be without power, and let’s face it; the power never goes out at a convenient time.
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, we can’t control Mother Nature. We live in a rural area that is subject to Mother Nature’s fury – especially during the winter. The best we can do is be prepared for any type of emergency.
LMUD’s web site, www.lmud.org, features a link to “Ready.gov” – www.ready.gov is FEMA’s disaster preparedness information web site. Here you will find tips and information on how you can prepare yourself and your family in case of emergency.
I know it’s hard to hear “we don’t know when the power will be restored,” but we are all in this together. If the power does go out, we at LMUD will make every effort to communicate thoughtfully and meaningfully.
If you need assistance in signing-up for text alerts, please stop by our office at 65 S Roop and I will be happy to help get you started.
