The Dec. 15, 2021 windstorm was one of the largest natural disasters the city has had to respond to.
Colorado Springs Utilities today released details of improvements made since last year’s catastrophic windstorm. It also shared stats on the windstorm, which brought hurricane-force winds across Colorado Springs.
The 2021 windstorm by the numbers:
· 248 wires down (6.2 miles)
· 101 wood distribution poles damaged
· 5 wood transmission poles damaged
· 33 overhead transformers damaged
· 182 cross arms damaged
· 600+ employees and contractors worked repairs
· Two mutual aid entities responded
· More than 70 total crews responded
Improvements outlined by Utilities:
• Lessons learned from the 2021 storm were successfully applied to the May 2022 late-spring snowstorm and the December 2022 windstorm.
• Utilities improved system resiliency, and offered more accurate customer notification tracking and better outreach.
• Safety protocols, command structures, collaboration and customer engagement were refined.
• The online outage map now has better functionality.
• A new fiber network infrastructure, under construction, will serve as the essential foundation for Utilities’ grid modernization.