ROANOKE, Va. — Appalachian Power gathered key personnel from its service areas on November 12 at its Roanoke office for a mock storm exercise, a proactive measure ahead of the impending winter storm season.

Organized by the Distribution team, the biannual drill allowed members of the Incident Command System to implement and refine new strategies for various storm scenarios.

"Every storm has its own characteristics, whether it's a flood, high wind, or snow event," said David Robinson, incident commander, in an interview with WDBJ. "Safety is our primary goal; we want to ensure that during those events, we avoid any downed wires that could pose a risk to the public."

The exercise, dubbed “Hurricane Dexter,” involved multiple scenarios and injects to give every responding department an opportunity to practice their responses and identify any necessary updates to procedures. This preparation is crucial for maintaining safety and efficiency during actual storm events.

In addition to bolstering internal readiness, the mock storm also reinforces APCo's commitment to customer satisfaction. By refining procedures before a crisis occurs, crews can respond more effectively, ultimately leading to quicker estimated restoration times (ETRs).

The event was open to first responders and media representatives, providing them with insights into the training processes and the technology employed in field restorations. Presentations highlighted pole restoration techniques and the drone program.

"Our customers just want to know what’s going on — the good news and the bad news," said George Porter, director of communications and public information officer. "We’re striving to communicate better, be more efficient, and provide real-time data, because that’s exactly what they want."

The mock storm drill was deemed a success, reinforcing Appalachian Power's readiness to tackle the challenges posed by winter weather.