Dixie Electric Power AssociationHurricane Katrina Remembrance Media Day

[Executive Summary]In the past 10 years, Dixie Electric has made vast advancements intechnology and offers many useful tools to its members. The ultimategoal of the association is to effectively communicate and to providethe best service to its members.

[Situation Analysis]Dixie Electric Power Association failed to communicate with its mem-bers (consumers) in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which se-verely damaged its reputation with both the membership and thelocal media organizations.

[Goal]Dixie Electric would like to rebuild its reputation with its members, aswell as enhance the relationship with the local media reporters andeditors.

[Objectives]Objective 1: To increase awareness of the efforts made by the em-ployees of Dixie Electric in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Objective 2: To create awareness of the technological advancementsmade by Dixie Electric in the 10 years after Hurricane Katrina.

Objective 3: To increase awareness of the communication channelsmade available to the members since Hurricane Katrina.

[Target Audiences]The target audience is the local media and members of Dixie Electric.• Newspapers: Laurel Leader Call, Laurel Miss.; Impact of Laurel,

Laurel, Miss.; The Chronicle, Laurel, Miss.; The Wayne County News, Waynesboro, Miss.; Richton Dispatch, Richton, Miss.; Petal News, Hattiesburg, Miss.; andHattiesburg American, Hattiesburg, Miss.

• Television Station: WDAM Television, Hattiesburg, Miss.• Radio Stations: Pine Belt Radio, Hattiesburg, Miss. (B95, Rock 104,

KZ94); Super Talk Radio, Laurel, Miss., WLAU 99.3; Super Talk Radio, Hattiesburg, Miss., WFMM 97.3

[Key Messages]• Effective communication with members and media is vital in a

crisis or storm restoration[Strategies]Hire an intern in April 2015:• Intern to research the communication issues at Dixie Electric in the

aftermath of Katrina. • Intern to research the advancements made at the cooperative in

the past 10 years.• Intern to plan a media day to talk about the advancements in the

association.Media should disseminate information to the 29,000 membersthrough the local media during August 2015.

[Evaluation]The research project and Media Day were successful and goals andobjectives were met.• The intern was able to assess the situation at Dixie Electric during

August 2005 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina through interviews and research.

• A media day was planned and materials were provided for media professionals.

• Seven of 10 media outlets that were invited attended the media day or had a response. Of those media outlets, seven reported on Dixie Electric’s technology improvements in their coverage.

• A survey completed by those media professionals showed thatrelations had improved with Dixie Electric.

[Appendix]I. Action PlanII. Table of interviews and interview purposeIII. Table of Media Outlets and media coverage

APPENDIX I: Hurricane Katrina Anniversary Media Day

APPENDIX II: Interviews

APPENDIX III: Media Outlets and Media Coverage

You are invited to our

Media DayAs we reflect on Hurricane Katrina as a community 10 years later,

come see how we’ve evolved at Dixie Electric.

Friday, August 7, 201511:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Dixie Electric Power Association1863 Highway 184 • Laurel, Mississippi 39443

Lunch will be provided.Please reply to Lydia Walters at 601-422-4264,

or respond to this email.

Media DayAs we reflect on Hurricane

Katrina as a community 10 years later, come see

how we’ve evolved at Dixie Electric.

Friday, August 7, 201511:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Dixie Electric Power Association1863 Highway 184 • Laurel, Mississippi 39443

“Ten years later Hurricane Katrina is still the worst natural disaster to strike the United States.The devastating storm caused not only all of our 35,568 plus accounts to lose power, but every service

south of Interstate 20 in Mississippi lost electric power. At no time previously had our entire system beenwithout power; let alone the entire southern half of the state.”

– Randy Smith, Dixie Electric General Manager

JASPERCOUNTY

WAYNECOUNTY

JONESCOUNTY

COVINGTONCOUNTY

PERRYCOUNTY

FORRESTCOUNTY

CLARKECOUNTY

EllisvilleCollins

HattiesburgRichton

August marks the anniversary of one of the worstnatural disasters to strike the Southeastern UnitedStates, especially Mississippi. On August 29, 2005,Hurricane Katrina entered Dixie Electric PowerAssociation’s service area, bringing 100 mile per hourwinds, spawning tornadoes and snapping large trees.All of Dixie Electric’s 35,568 meters lost power due totransmission and distribution lines being damaged ordestroyed by this violent weather system. In the daysfollowing Hurricane Katrina, Dixie Electric’s employ-ees along with line workers from around the nationbraved hot weather conditions to rebuild the electri-cal system.

“I remember the crews andtrucks that flooded in tohelp us. We had co-ops

from all over the UnitedStates ready to work longhours. We would have notmade it without all of the

extra help.”

Joe Donald Safety Manager

Remembering

Dixie Electric has installed a dispatch center.The dispatch center integrates modern technology that pro-vides more accurate and timely information to the servicemenand linemen when they are making repairs and restoringpower after a storm.

Line workersflooded in to south Mississippi from electriccooperatives from across the country andfrom contractors. More than 1,100 assistedwith power restoration within Dixie Electric’sservice area.

number of DAYS TO

RE-ENERGIZEthe system

5,000number of power POLES

REPLACED

�

“Thank you all for all ofyour hard work during this

time of EXTRA hard workand EXTRA long hours. We

tip our hats to you.”

Michael PridgesDixie Electric Member

“Thanks to all of you whoworked so hard to restore

our power to such a devastated county.

I think it was restored verypromptly considering themangled mess the poles

and lines were.I’m so thankful to have

power again.”

Mary McCraryDixie Electric Member

Katrina by the numbers

The addition of 1,100 line workers brought unique circumstances because the line workers had to be housed and fed, and their clothes washed. This difficult task was made worse when considering the devastation that the local community faced. In many instances, members volunteered to help, so the line workers could continue restoring power. In this photo, Dixie Electric employees are preparing and serving food to the line workers.

Changes made since Hurricane KatrinaHurricane Katrina brought a lot of unique and challenging

circumstances. Here is a brief look at some the changes made at DixieElectric over the past 10 years. Most of the changes are due to

advancements in technology during the last decade. Dixie Electric’sstaff has embraced these advancements, benefitting the members

during a power outage.

� Communicating with membersSince 2005 Dixie Electric has worked with the local media to build a

relationship and to communicate to its members through them duringsignificant power outages. Dixie Electric also has two websites availablefor member information, dixieepa.com and prepared.dixieepa.com.Prepared.dixieepa.com has a real-time outage map, so members can viewoutages. It posts a small yellow hard hat when a lineman has been dis-patched to the local area. Dixie Electric’s communication staff also regu-larly posts outage updates to Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

� Dispatching linemenDixie Electric has installed a central dispatch center. Over the past sev-

eral years, Dixie Electric has upgraded its phone system and added anoutage management system. This system predicts the location or possi-ble cause of an outage from calls received from the members. This inte-grated outage system removes some of the guesswork, allowing linemento be dispatched quicker and sending them to specific locations torestore power.

� Responding to emergenciesDixie Electric has an Emergency Response Plan in place that clearly

defines roles and responsibilities for the employees in the aftermath of astorm. This plan is reviewed annually and has been updated with dili-gence since Hurricane Katrina.

� Joining CRC for after hours responseIn 2012 Cooperative Response Center (CRC) began answering phone

calls and dispatching personnel after-hours for Dixie Electric. CRC’semployees are trained in the electric power industry and can assist withpower outage and emergency situations. CRC is a national cooperativethat works with more than 200 electric cooperatives, assisting membersafter hours. CRC is headquartered in Austin, Minn. and has call centers inDunlap, Tenn. and Abilene, Texas, allowing for phone calls to beanswered even if local phone systems are down.

� Adding PersonnelSince Hurricane Katrina, Dixie Electric has added 18 positions to its

work force. Nine of the positions were the addition of linemen. At thetime of Katrina, Dixie Electric worked three five-man line crews; current-ly, there are four six-man line crews. One of those crews is assigned tothe Petal area. Other positions have been added in the following areas:right-of-way maintenance, information technology, safety, mapping andwarehousing.

1,100total number of

LINE WORKERSwho came to assist

35,568total number of

METERSserved on the system;

all lost power

of Dixie Electric’s members lostelectric service due to miles ofdamaged power line and brokenpower poles.All

$45millionTOTAL COST

of power restoration

“I appreciate Dixie Electric for their great effort in restoring electricity after Katrina. A jobwell done. I’m sure that God was with you in this great effort. May he continue to smiledown upon you. Thank you again. – Rev. James Burke

The Holbrook family would like to say thank you for your hard work during Katrina days and nights. We realizethat each one of you had to make choices between your family and ours. Our jobs are not easy but can make lifemuch better. So, God Bless each one of your and your families. – David Holbrook family“ “

A look at THEN and NOW

2005 - 2015

“It’s rare for an electric power

association to suffer a 100% power

outage due to a natural disaster.

After Katrina, nine of them did.”

– Hobson Waits

“Ten years later Hurricane Katrina is still the worst natural disaster to strike the United States. The devastating storm caused not only all of our 35,568 plus accounts to lose power, but every service south of Interstate 20 in Mississippi lost electric power. At no time previously had our entire system been without power; let alone the entire southern half of the state.”

Randy SmithGeneral Manager

Source: NOAA

Damageto Dixie

Electric’s Service Area

Challenges

Results of the Storm

Dedication Despite Personal Loss

Top 10 Changes

for Dixie Electric In 10 Years

1Communications

2Planning And Preparedness

NOW

THEN

We Made Smart

Decisions

3Generators

NOW

4Mapping

System

NOW

THEN

5Automated

Phone System

Need members to update contact information

6 Dispatch

Center

THEN

NOW

Brings together…• Automated Phone System• Automated Meter Infrastructure• Outage reporting & dispatching

7Automated Meter

Infrastructure (AMI Smart Meters)

NOW

THEN

8 Cooperative

Response Center

NOW

THEN

9Staffing Increase

NOW

97

78

THEN

Employees

Employees

10 District Offices

THEN

NOW

Our Commitment To Excellence

?Questions

#304Spotlight on Excellence Entry FormNRECA Voting Member Classification * Distribution Cooperative: 20,001-50,000 meters

Category * 16. Best Event

Entry Title * Katrina 10 Years Later

I wish to receive Judges' comments onthis entry

Yes

Contact's Name * Lydia Walters

Cooperative * Dixie Electric Power Association

Mailing Address PO Box 88 Laurel, Mississippi 39441-0088 United States

Contact's Email * lydiawalters@dixieepa.com

Contact's Phone Number * (601) 422-4264

Name of entrant as it should appear onthe award (if given)

Dixie Electric Power Association

Is this the first time you've entered theSpotlight competition?

No

Entrant's Email lydiawalters@dixieepa.com

Names of others (freelancers ororganizations) involved in the project, ifapplicable

Randy Smith, Lydia Walters, Pollyanna Magee, Elissa Fulton, MarkBridges

Describe your/the co-op's role in the project *

Dixie Electric’s Communication Manager Lydia Walters wanted to hold a media day to remember Hurricane Katrinaand Dixie Electric’s power restoration efforts after the storm. Dixie Electric received negative publicity for notcommunicating through the local media to its members after Hurricane Katrina. Knowing that it would be difficult foranyone within the cooperative to research this project, Lydia hired intern Elissa Fulton who is working on acommunication degree from Tulane University. Elissa is also an employee at the statewide association for the ElectricPower Associations in Mississippi. Lydia instructed Elissa to research the communication issues and the restorationefforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and research the changes made at the cooperative in the past 10 yearsto correct the communication issues. Lydia and Elissa jointly wrote the goals and objectives for the project.

Community Relations Coordinator Pollyanna Magee worked at Dixie Electric after Hurricane Katrina, so it wasimportant that she keep a distance from the project until near the end. Elissa interviewed Pollyanna, who sharedmany of the communication challenges. When it came time to put the presentation, display and other materialstogether for the media day itself, Pollyanna collected and organized photos, set up a display, ordered food andhelped plan the event.

Lydia Walters worked with Elissa to put together the printed materials, including the invitation and handout, andorganized the research into a concise presentation for the media day. General Manager Randy Smith and LydiaWalters presented the information to the media, and Randy did interviews with the reporters. Lydia also did follow-upinterviews with a local radio station.

Describe others’ role in the project (Reference outside sources of material, including templates; pre-existingWeb tools and apps; information from outside groups, such as Straight Talk or Touchstone Energy; stockphotos and music, etc.) *

Elissa Fulton, who is the communication specialist at the Electric Power Associations of Mississippi office, extensivelyresearched this project. She put 100 hours into the research, planning and implementation of this project. Sheinterviewed employees of Dixie Electric, a former public service commissioner and other employees who wereknowledgeable of communication challenges after Katrina. Elissa was given this opportunity because it provided aninternship for her, and she could bring an unbiased opinion to the research.

She also researched the many technological advancements, internal and organizational changes, and businessimprovements over the past 10 years. After this extensive research, Elissa and Lydia worked together to create apresentation for the media, providing information on the devastation caused by Katrina, the communicationchallenges, the hard work by the employees to restore the system and the improvements mentioned above.

Graphic Artist Mark Bridges assisted Elissa with the design of the presentation, handout, invitation and agenda. Hecreated a consistent look for all of the pieces, using the same Katrina word graphic that was used by the electriccooperatives in Mississippi 10 years ago.

Circulation or Number of People Reached *

Number of Attendees * 5

Project’s Budget * $125

Target Audience(s) * Local Media and Dixie Electric's Members

Project's Objective *

Restrictions/Limitations * There were no restrictions and only a few limitations. There were a fewchallenges in finding documents from 10 years ago, but this was onlya minor issue.

Describe why you chose this type of socialmedia and how you used it *

Provide a brief summary that states the purpose of the event, how the program was implemented, and resultsand how they were measured *

Research:Dixie Electric failed to communicate with its members in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which severely damagedits reputation with both the membership and the local media organizations.

Intern Elissa Fulton extensively researched this project. She interviewed employees of Dixie Electric, a former publicservice commissioner and others within the electric cooperative network in Mississippi. The interviews and materialsshe read gave her an unbiased overview of the communication challenges that Dixie Electric faced after HurricaneKatrina. She also researched the changes within Dixie Electric to overcome these communication challenges and theadvancements in technology since Katrina.

Community Relations Coordinator Pollyanna Magee found numerous photos, printed materials and thank you notesfrom the Katrina-era.

Planning:Communication Manager Lydia Walters and Elissa worked together to plan a media day. The goal was to plan themedia day early in August 2015, so reporters could use the information as part of their Katrina 10-year-latercoverage. The target audience is the local media and members of Dixie Electric.

Lydia and Elissa worked together to set the goals and objectives and asked Graphic Artist Mark Bridges to assist withthe design of the materials, including the invitation, agenda, handout and presentation. Pollyanna Magee orderedfood and set up a display from the Katrina-era, so the media would have materials to photograph or video, capturingthen versus now.

The specific goals and objectives are included in the attached material. Lunch was the only cost for this project.Elissa received college credit hours for her efforts.

Implementation:Invitations were emailed to the media outlets two weeks in advance and a follow-up invitation was sent the weekprior to the event.

Dixie Electric hosted a media day on Friday, August 7, 2015. Lydia Walters presented the historical information anddiscussed the external communication changes. General Manager Randy Smith discussed the restoration efforts afterKatrina and explained the technological changes made over the past 10 years.

The reporters were given an opportunity to visit the dispatch center and receive further explanation on how thetechnological advancements work together. This visit also provided additional artwork for their news stories.

Evaluation:Ten news outlets were invited to participate in the media event. Five of them sent reporters, and two othersrequested information or an interview.

The research project and media day were successful, and the goals and objectives were met.• The intern was able to assess the situation at Dixie Electric during August 2005 in the aftermath of HurricaneKatrina through interviews and research.• A media day was planned and materials were provided for media professionals.• Seven of 10 media outlets that were invited attended the media day or had a response. Of those media outlets,seven reported on Dixie Electric’s technology improvements in their coverage.• A survey completed by those media professionals showed that relations had improved with Dixie Electric.

A breakdown of the specific media coverage and copies of the news articles are included in the attachments.

Provide a brief summary that states thepurpose, how the program wasimplemented, and results and how theywere measured using the RACEframework. Each component has its ownword limit noted below.

Research *

Action *

Communication *

Evaluation *

Upload Supporting Materials File #1 katrina_media_summary_invitation_handout_presentation.pdf8.92 MB · PDF

Upload Supporting Materials File #2 katrina10_newspapers_articles.pdf1.97 MB · PDF

Supporting Materials Link

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Carol Crabtree · 16:33 on 14 Dec 2015REVIEWED 12/14/15-KC