Supporting communities during severe weather: insights from Storm Fern

In late January, Storm Fern swept across multiple regions, leaving millions of residents without power and disrupting communities in profound ways. For many, the outage wasn’t just an inconvenience; it affected heating, transportation, communication, and access to essential services. Vulnerable populations, including older adults, non-English speakers, and those in remote areas, faced the greatest challenges.

During these critical moments, residents need accurate information quickly. Utilities must communicate clearly to help people stay safe, minimize risk, and manage uncertainty. For over 25 years, Convey has partnered with utilities to support communities during high-impact events, delivering reliable, large-scale communications while helping utilities maintain operational stability.

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The impact of Storm Fern on communities

From January 21st to February 1st, Storm Fern caused widespread outages and disruption:

• Over 1.2 million customers lost power at the peak of the storm
• Thousands of homes and businesses were affected by downed power lines and blocked roads
• Utilities experienced a surge in inbound calls, leaving residents anxious and stretched call centers struggling to keep up

Storms of this magnitude don’t affect all residents equally. Vulnerable populations may not have access to the internet, may face language barriers, or may have urgent medical needs that rely on electricity. Without clear, consistent communication, residents can feel isolated and unsupported, creating stress and safety risks.

Storm Fern highlighted the importance of timely, targeted communication that reaches residents where they are, in the language they understand, and tailored to their circumstances.

How Convey supported utilities during Storm Fern

During Storm Fern, Convey’s platform played a stabilizing role for utilities, helping them communicate rapidly, accurately, and at scale. Over just 12 days, utilities were able to reach residents across multiple channels:

• 89 million SMS messages delivered critical updates
• 19 million emails kept customers informed about outages and restoration timelines
• 12 million voice minutes connected residents with personalized updates

These communications were not generic alerts. They were segmented by location, customer type, and language, allowing utilities to provide the right information to the right people. Two-way automated messages helped residents report hazards, schedule appointments, and get updates on outage restoration, reducing strain on call centers while keeping communities informed.

The result was a coordinated, stable response that allowed utilities to focus on repairing infrastructure and restoring service, knowing their communication channels were reliable under unprecedented demand.

Lessons learned for utilities and communities

Storm Fern reinforced several critical lessons:

1. Outages impact communities beyond power loss – They affect safety, mobility, and access to services, with vulnerable populations at higher risk.
2. Segmented, multilingual communication is essential – Reaching residents in their preferred language and format helps reduce confusion and improve response.
3. Two-way communication strengthens response – Allowing residents to report hazards, confirm appointments, or request support helps utilities act faster and builds trust.
4. Stability under pressure matters – Utilities need a partner whose platform can scale to tens of millions of messages in a matter of days, without interruption.

Storm Fern demonstrated that when utilities have a trusted partner managing communications, they can respond to high-impact events with speed, precision, and reliability, ultimately reducing disruption and protecting residents.

Preparing for the next storm

Utilities cannot predict when the next severe weather event will strike, but they can prepare now. Convey offers tools and strategies to support communities before, during, and after storms:

• Emergency notification system for real-time, omnichannel alerts
• Segmented and targeted messaging for vulnerable populations
• Two-way automated communication for reporting hazards, scheduling appointments, and tracking restoration

Storm Fern showed that stable, reliable communication can make a measurable difference in how communities experience severe weather. Utilities that partner with Convey have the confidence that their residents will receive timely, actionable updates, even under extreme conditions.

Contact Convey today to discuss how your utility can strengthen communications before the next critical event and support communities when they need it most.