Actions Before... and After a Flood

After a flood, large amounts of water and mud can remain trapped in substation equipment, making the repair of such equipment a sizable task and lengthening the restoration task. Certain preventive measures and preparatory steps can help diminish such impacts and reduce restoration times. Extreme weather impacts, such as those from floods, need to be understood, and steps need to be taken to adjust system design, asset management, and operating practices. To effectively achieve such objectives, lessons learned from some utilities that have recovered from floods can be invaluable. The best advice is to plan ahead for the risk of flooding and do not wait until the last minute to put such plans and measures into action.