Dr. Earl Stoddard Provides Update on Storm Clean-Up and Power Restoration Efforts

Dr. Earl Stoddard, who is the Assistant Chief Administrator in Montgomery County and has served as the Director of the Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management & Homeland Security (OEMHS) since January 2016, has provided an update on storm clean-up efforts via Twitter. The full update can be seen below:

“Just to provide an update on storm clean-up. Right now, the primary focus remains power restoration and road clearance. That requires coordination between the County and power utilities given the intersection between vegetation and power lines.

Lines need to be de-energized (utility), vegetation cleared (county), then lines re-hung (utility). Given the amount of damage, this is taking a long time. Generally, restoration is prioritized in two ways: (1) critical facilities & (2) most customers benefited.

Now, this can be very challenging. Given the damage, you end up with what is referred to as “nested outages”. The utility fixes one issue only to find another issue further downstream (closer to the residence/facility). For this reason, you should continue to check your restoration status to make sure the utility knows you are out. If they think a fix upstream restored you and it didn’t, you should remind them.”

Just to provide an update on storm clean-up. Right now, the primary focus remains power restoration and road clearance. That requires coordination between the County and power utilities given the intersection between vegetation and power lines. (1/x)

— Earl Stoddard PhD, MPH, CEM (@EarlStoddard) July 31, 2023