September is National Preparedness Month and is also in the middle of hurricane season. It provides a timely reminder for utilities to assess how ready they are for a major outage and what preparation may be needed.

That’s where an OMS (Outage Management System) comes in. An OMS is an essential part of a utility’s disaster readiness plan.

Designed for Simplicity in High-Stress Moments

Natural disasters often strike with little warning and can leave utilities scrambling to find the damage, determine how widespread it is, and discern what resources are needed to restore service. An OMS is built for these critical moments. Simple ease of use lets your crews focus on responding instead of navigating a complex system. For smaller, rural utilities with limited staff or IT resources, an OMS makes all the difference.

Integration You Can Count On

OMS integrates with Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) and Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems to detect and alert you to outages automatically. AMI real-time integration allows immediate identification of new outages. When customers begin calling, IVR allows for more calls to be answered without tying up the personnel that are needed to restore the outages.

During large-scale storms, visibility is essential. An OMS provides it by mapping outages as they occur, helping crews understand the scope of the disaster in real time.

Smart Response

One major challenge during a disaster is identifying nested outages that can go unnoticed. OMS recognizes these and provides more accurate insight into their location. This translates to more efficient dispatching and faster restoration—three things that matter most to the communities you serve.

Preparedness Starts with the Right Platform

Disaster preparedness isn’t just about what you do before a storm hits -- it’s about how quickly you respond when it does. OMS gives your utility the tools to take immediate action, reduce downtime, and communicate clearly with both crews and customers.

Are you ready for the next storm? Let’s plan for it together. Contact us today!