We have all experienced that surge of stress that happens when the power goes out. As you fumble through drawers to find your flashlight, questions start swirling in your head. How long will the outage last? Will the food in the refrigerator spoil? How will I charge my devices? It's in these moments, amid the feeling of inconvenience and unease, that we're starkly reminded of our reliance on electricity—not just for light, but for the safety and preservation of our daily lives.

2024 is the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA’s) “Year of Resilience,” which, at its heart, is about encouraging everyone—from the average residential customer to companies that maintain critical energy infrastructure—to prepare for the threats of tomorrow, today. The electric power industry has a long history of prioritizing resilience and is a crucial partner in building and maintaining a prepared nation.

The uninterrupted flow of electricity is critical to our daily lives. Without it, communities across the country lose the ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters. Our nation’s energy grid powers hospitals, enables transportation systems, and ensures the safety and well-being of millions. When the power stays on, businesses flourish, critical services remain uninterrupted, and communities can focus on growing and thriving.

Resilience is not just about maintaining service and bouncing back from service disruptions. It’s also about fortifying our grid to withstand and adapt to ever-changing threats. Natural hazards—such as tornadoes, hurricanes, wildfires, and extreme heat—not only threaten lives and property but also place immense stress on the grid. These physical challenges are compounded by cyber threats that are becoming ever more prevalent in our society.

EEI’s members, who supply electricity to nearly 250 million Americans, are pivotal in fostering the resilience necessary to withstand both physical and cybersecurity threats to our nation’s infrastructure. This means strengthening and hardening our critical energy infrastructure by reinforcing power lines, securing substations, and adopting smart-grid technologies that can help predict and mitigate disruptions.

Just as we invest in physical infrastructure, it also is critical to prioritize cybersecurity measures that ensure the uninterrupted delivery of service to our communities. To this end, FEMA, in collaboration with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), developed the “Planning Considerations for Cyber Incidents: Guidance for Emergency Managers” to help organizations prepare for a cyber incident and to support the development of a cyber-incident response plan. By fostering a culture of cybersecurity, we can collectively mitigate risk and enhance the overall resilience of our energy grid. 

Despite our best planning efforts, incidents will occur. In these moments, the ability to maintain connectivity between electric companies and energy providers, emergency responders, and government partners is paramount to swift coordinated response and recovery efforts.

We encourage EEI’s members to enroll in the free Government Emergency Telecommunications Services (GETS) and Wireless Priority Service (WPS) programs run by CISA. These services ensure priority access to telecommunication networks during crises, facilitating seamless communication and coordination among stakeholders. By enrolling in GETS and WPS, EEI members can help to create a robust communication framework that can withstand the challenges posed by disasters and cyber threats. In times of crisis, prioritized access to communication networks can be a game-changer, enabling your organization to swiftly support response and recovery efforts. 

As we approach the start of hurricane and wildfire season, industry-government collaboration is essential to ensuring the resilience of our critical energy infrastructure. Our collective commitment to resilience is not just a responsibility; it also is a vital investment in the reliability and security of the grid that powers our nation.

Deanne Criswell is the 12th Administrator of the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency.