After a storm has passed and conditions are safe, KUB crews begin to work to restore power to customers. Their top priority is to restore power to critical services, like hospitals, and to large numbers of customers. They continue to prioritize jobs based on the number of customers affected, with the final jobs being those that may only impact a few customers—or even one customer—at a time. 

Damage Assessment

You may see a Damage Assessor (DA) before you see a crew. DAs patrol the system ahead of repair crews. They determine what materials and resources will be needed to make each repair. That helps crews restore power more quickly, because the material can be ready for them when they arrive. DA's trucks will be clearly marked, and they will often use flashing and/or hazard lights and spotlights. The trucks may proceed slowly and stop frequently to inspect damage and collect important information about downed utility lines, poles, transformers, and related equipment. Please proceed with caution when driving near Damage Assessor trucks. You may also see these trucks come to your area and leave because the the DA's have assessed the damage and relayed what will be necessary to repair the system back to KUB System Operations, which will then dispatch the appropriate crews and equipment.

Order of Restoration

During a typical outage, KUB uses the following sequence to determine the order of restoration: 

• Critical system loads that include communications systems, water/wastewater pump stations, hospitals, and other services vital to public welfare.
• Transmission lines (the backbone of the electric system) serving larger numbers of customers.
• Substation equipment that can impact large numbers as well.
• Distribution lines serving subdivisions, large housing areas, and commercial areas.
• Service lines and transformers that serve small numbers of customers.
• Service lines and transformers serving individual customers.