Appalachian Power, local officials walk through storm preparedness plan in Roanoke

ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) - When severe weather strikes, coordination between emergency officials and power crews is key to keeping communities safe and restoring power quickly.

Wednesday, Appalachian Power hosted local leaders, first responders, and emergency management officials at its downtown Roanoke office for a storm preparedness walk-through, giving them a behind-the-scenes look at how the company responds when outages occur.

The meeting wasn’t a hands-on drill, but a step-by-step discussion of how teams prepare, communicate, and restore power during severe weather.

“We don’t just do these during weather events. This happens during any type of outages that may take place,” said David Robinson, Appalachian Power’s Director of Distribution Regional Operations and Incident Commander. “W