Connected in Crisis: Adapting Communication Strategies for Today's Weather Challenges

Extreme weather events are wreaking havoc on utilities and the communities they serve. In this insightful podcast,  Lemuel Satamkar, Senior Product Marketing Manager at KUBRA shares strategies for effective crisis communication with host Shaun Jackson, Senior Vice President of Marketing at KUBRA. Learn how leading providers are leveraging advanced technologies and data to keep customers informed and build resilience. Don't miss this essential discussion on the future of utility crisis response – listen or read the transcript below.

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Shaun:
Welcome everyone. Today, we're diving into a critical topic that's affected millions across the globe—the alarming increase in extreme weather events.

This year, we've already seen more than 20 confirmed billion-dollar weather and climate disaster events in the U.S. alone. These aren't just statistics. They represent real communities facing unprecedented challenges. As communities continue to recover from Hurricane Helene and Milton, which tore through the southeast and Florida in the last month, this is a stark reminder of the growing impact these events have on our infrastructure and daily lives.

To help us better understand how these intensifying weather patterns are reshaping utility communication strategies, we're joined today by Lem Satamkar, Senior Product Marketing Manager at KUBRA. Lem brings valuable insights into how utilities are adapting their crisis communication methods in the face of these challenges. Lem, welcome to the show.

Lem:
Thanks for having me, Shaun. I'm super excited to be back on the show, although this is my first time on this side of the mic. I'm really excited to discuss this critical topic in more detail today.

Shaun:
I can't wait to hear your thoughts. Let's start with our first question. Can you give us an overview of the impact these extreme weather events are having on utility communication strategies specifically?

Adapting Utility Communication Strategies

Lem:
Absolutely. Let me start by giving you an understanding of where we are and how the last few years have panned out in terms of severe weather events.

The National Center for Environmental Information (NCEI) has posted some critical numbers. In 2021, we had 20 billion-dollar weather and climate disaster events. 2022 had 18, and 2023 had 28, which amassed a total of $92.9 billion in costs associated with loss of life and property. This year, as of July, the agency has reported twenty such events, not even taking into consideration Hurricane Helene and Milton, which I suspect will make it on the list.

Looking at the numbers the NCEI has reported, even though the costs associated with loss of life and property have dropped, the sheer number of events continues to rise. It's important to note that these costs don't even consider the psychological impact on affected communities.

Coming back to your question, these events have significantly stressed utility communication strategies, prompting service providers to develop plans to communicate effectively before, during, and after events.

In terms of what utilities are doing before an event, they've been testing their communication systems and providing refresher training to their technicians on working safely in hazardous conditions. This ensures that both the technology and the personnel using that tech are prepared for potential emergencies.

Earlier this year, Bell, a large Canadian telco company, acknowledged the severe effects of wildfires and hurricanes on its network. The telecom published a press release reporting that according to a Nanos survey commissioned by the Canadian Telecoms Association, almost 40% of Canadians have reported experiencing service disruptions due to severe weather or natural disasters.

Bell has plans to prevent outages and mitigate customer impact when these events occur, including providing technicians with refresher training on worker safety in hazardous conditions.

When a wildfire or hurricane is imminent, utilities focus on providing up-to-date and reliable information by integrating threat intelligence feeds from vetted sources and in-house analysts. This year, Storm Center™, KUBRA's outage map solution, introduced a new feature that includes hurricane paths, wildfire advisories, critical facilities, and hazards within the outage map itself.

Utilities are also employing multi-channel communication strategies to reach as many people as possible through phone calls, text messages, email, social media, and dedicated mobile apps.

Challenges in Emergency Communication

Shaun:
It's interesting that you mentioned Bell. Bell is actually my service provider, and I have to say that I've been very pleased with them. I'm also inspired and happy to hear that if we have any extreme weather events here in our community, we will be poised for great service.

Those statistics are eye-opening, and it feels like these events are really not just increasing in frequency but also in their impact on both infrastructure and communities. I'm particularly intrigued by the multi-channel approach that many of our utility clients seem to be adopting. It seems they're really having to innovate to keep up with these challenges.

I'm comforted that KUBRA's Storm Center now includes wildfire advisory and hurricane path information. This speaks volumes about how utilities are adapting to provide more comprehensive information to their clients and customers. Can you expand on the most frequent communication hurdles that utilities are facing during these emergency events?

Lem:
The biggest challenge in communicating during outages is the outage itself, which is a chicken-and-egg situation. Many modern communication systems rely on electric power, so extended power outages can disable communication networks, and in some cases, backup generators may run out of fuel during prolonged events.

Looking beyond electrical power outages, hurricanes and wildfires often cause extensive damage to communication infrastructure, severely impacting utilities' ability to communicate effectively. This could include the destruction of cell and radio towers and, in more severe cases, damage to copper and fiber optic cables.

Another consideration is language and accessibility barriers. Utilities and service providers serve diverse populations that require communication catering to different language proficiencies, disabilities, and varying access to technology within communities. For example, during a thunderstorm in Davis, CA, many residents reported struggling to understand the updates on the radio, as they were in unfamiliar languages. It's important that when utilities look at technologies to support outage communications, those technologies support languages that best represent the communities they serve.

Another growing challenge, especially in the world of social media, is the spread of misinformation. Not taking a proactive approach to communicating during a crisis can lead to the spread of misinformation, resulting in further chaos and panic. During an interview with Bloomberg, Jerry King, Head of Climate Research and Policy at the Institute of Strategic Dialogue, reported that some posts regarding the Maui fires were in "conspiratorial territory."

What utilities should do is get ahead of the spread of misinformation by building an engaged and captive audience on social media channels. Before a storm, make sure you're using your social media and official communication channels frequently. This way, during a storm, customers will naturally turn to these official channels instead of relying on unofficial sources for information about climate events.

Psychological Aspects of Crisis Communication

Shaun:
What incredible information! As I was listening, a couple of thoughts came to mind. As it relates to misinformation, I can only imagine how AI has further exacerbated the situation and made it more difficult to keep up and assess what is real. The strategy around building your social media presence makes sense—establishing yourself as the true north so that in times of crisis, people know where to find accurate information.

In our hyper-connected world, managing the flow of accurate information seems just as crucial as managing the physical infrastructure. On that note, what role does crisis communication play when it comes to the psychological well-being of those impacted by these terrible disasters?

Lem:
That's a great question, Shaun. Communication can positively and negatively impact affected populations, depending mainly on their accuracy and timeliness.

During emergencies, people can interpret messages in many ways. Disasters naturally bring uncertainty and complexity, which can affect the overall mindset of the affected population. Good communication practices can empower customers and stakeholders, making them feel more in control of the situation. The accuracy of the information can give them clarity on the extent and severity of the crisis and help them plan to keep themselves and their loved ones safe.

Good communication nurtures hope, community resilience, and morale and can help develop trust with the community and decision-makers. In contrast, bad communication practices can severely affect the mental health of those being affected. Inaccurate information can truly erode years of efforts to build community trust.

Shaun:
It makes sense, and it's sobering to know that you can spend years developing trust and a great reputation with your customers, and it can take just the slightest thing to quickly lose that trust. It sounds like the strategy is more about building discipline and those blocks between events so that once something happens, utilities have done all they can to be prepared, making it proactive rather than reactionary.

It seems utilities are not just managing power lines and transformers but truly managing relationships and the real emotions of their customers. Now that we understand the importance of great communication during crisis events, what are some best practices for emergency communications that you can share with our listeners?

Lem:
A lot of what we have here comes across as common sense. The CDC has suggested that service providers craft simple, credible, timely, consistent messaging. During the pandemic, the CDC rolled out a prevention crisis and emergency risk communication training program. Even though this was relevant for the pandemic, I see many parallels between a pandemic and a severe weather event, as the psychology of customers remains similar.

The program suggested that communication should come from a credible source, like the utility's website, official social media channels, registered numbers, or the utility mobile app. When communication fails to be empathetic and doesn't acknowledge the fears, concerns, and psychological impact of the event, individuals can feel dismissed and unsupported.

Nova Scotia Power conducted online research with a Canadian research firm, surveying 1,675 customers affected during Hurricane Fiona in 2022 to assess satisfaction with utilities' restoration efforts and communication accuracy. The data revealed that customers preferred radio as a communication channel for outage information, especially when phones and digital services were out of service due to the storm.

Looking at our data generated by KUBRA’s Notifi® solution, during Hurricane Idalia, customers received outage updates and notifications across channels: 14% through voice channels, 40% through email, and 45% through text.

The last best practice I've seen is taking control of the situation. When we work with our utility partners, we always emphasize that utilities and service providers aren't in control of severe weather or calamity. Still, they can control how they react to it. Being on top of it, acknowledging the situation and shortcomings, and being honest can go a long way in putting customers at ease during a crisis.

Leveraging Technology for Better Outcomes

Shaun:
It all sounds logical and pragmatic, though probably not necessarily easy to implement. It's impressive to see how utilities are evolving their communication strategies. The example from Nova Scotia Power really drives home the importance of understanding customer preferences.

I'd love to shift gears and take a look at the technological side of things. How are utilities leveraging advanced technologies to further improve their response?

Lem:
Many technologies exist, but I'll focus on those most relevant to crisis communications. Outage communication technologies continue to be the backbone for getting the word out during a crisis, ensuring customers receive communications quickly through their preferred channels.

I mentioned Notifi, KUBRA's preference management and omni-channel communication platform, which helps customers choose what messages they want through their preferred channels. During Hurricane Idalia, affected KUBRA utility partners sent, on average, half a million messages daily across various channels through Notifi.

Outage maps continue to grow in popularity as self-service tools customers can rely on for up-to-date information. Besides providing real-time information, outage maps have the secondary benefit of reducing traffic to utility call centers. During Idalia, 1.6 million customers viewed their utilities' outage maps for timely updates.

I highly recommend building these solutions on cloud-based technologies, especially self-service tools for outage updates. In a Chartwell study, DTE reported that during severe weather, their self-service channels can experience loads up to 15 times more than a typical operating day. To support this surge, the utility opted for cloud-based solutions to host their mobile app, IVR systems, and customer-facing website, ensuring each self-service channel provided consistent and accessible information.

Future Prospects in Crisis Communication

Shaun:
It sounds like it's cloud-based or nothing in this world. With 15 times the level of traffic in a time of crisis, the last thing you want is to have your technology fail when you're relying on it more than ever.

It's astounding to think about how many messages were sent during Idalia alone. With this crazy storm season, I'm curious if we have any numbers yet on Hurricane Debby, Helene, and Milton.

Lem:
Some numbers have come in, though we're still assessing all our internal metrics. Still, across 15 days for all three hurricanes, we've seen 26 million map views on all our Storm Center maps, 40 million messages sent through Notifi, and 220,000 customers enrolled for outage notifications.

This data includes all our Storm Center and Notifi users, including those who may not have been directly impacted by the hurricanes, but this is still a huge surge compared to pre-storm numbers. For map views, we saw a 700% increase during Hurricane Helene compared to pre-storm numbers, and our in-house data reported triple-digit increases across all metrics.

Shaun:
Seven hundred percent—it's hard to wrap your head around that kind of increase, but it makes sense. At that time, people were truly invested on so many levels and for so many reasons.

As we wrap up what's been an enlightening discussion, I'm eager to hear your thoughts on what you think the future holds. How do you envision the evolution of crisis communication, specifically in the utility sector?

Lem:
That is a tough question. When you talk about evolution, you often think about it from a technological standpoint. Two years ago, generative AI was something many people didn't even know about, and now it's a household word. We're seeing applications across different utilities, and we don't know what's in store in the next two years, let alone the next decade.

What I can say is that advanced analytics and AI integration can make a big difference. Predictive analysis and AI will likely be used more to forecast potential crises and tailor communications accordingly. These technologies can help utilities better understand customer needs and preferences and communicate appropriately during emergencies.

At KUBRA, we've been conducting research on generative AI applications within Notifi. With this technology, utilities and service providers can quickly craft emergency communications. There are some exciting developments coming in the next couple of months.

I believe there will be greater emphasis on proactive communication to build trust and educate customers about potential risks and preparedness. Utilities will likely use more data from their smart meters and other sensors to detect and communicate about potential issues before they become major crises.

What gets me really excited is the prospect of industry-wide collaboration on best practices and standardization of crisis communication protocols. I expect regulators will be more involved, which can lead to more consistent and effective communication across different utility companies. I say this with confidence because I've been in this space for around three years, and at KUBRA, we attend many trade shows and have our own client conference, iConnect. The peer-to-peer learning in the utility industry is truly inspiring. It's amazing to see utilities sharing knowledge across the board, which is why I believe there will be more collaboration and standardization in the years to come.

Shaun:
Well, Lem, this has been such an enlightening discussion—pardon the pun, or rather, the pun is intended—for our utility clients. I've learned so much about strategy, statistics, and forward-looking information. Thank you; it's been such a pleasure having you on the show.

Lem:
Thanks for having me, Shaun. It's been a great conversation.

Shaun:
Last up for our listeners: Please be sure to check out our latest white papers for more strategies on communicating through crisis. You can find them on kubra.com in our resources section. Thank you again, Lem. Goodbye, everyone.

Lem:
Thank you.