NLI Provides Real-Time Outage Information
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Northern Lights Inc. (NLI) regularly enhances its website for members to use and locate information. The website has a link to NLI’s outage map under the outage center icon.
If you experience an outage and want to see what is happening on NLI’s system, this map provides up-to-date information. If you have viewed our outage map in the past, you may notice we improved the capabilities and design of this map.
Outages displayed on the map are posted in real-time as they are received by our outage management system in our dispatch center. The map syncs with NLI’s outage management system and is a condensed version of what dispatchers see.
If you see an outage on the map, you will notice an indication of “verified” or “predicted.”
When an outage shows as “predicted” on the map, it means it is generated from within NLI’s outage management system through members reporting outages via phone calls, texts, or SmartHub reports.
When you call in an outage from a phone registered with NLI, the system knows where your service is located and connects it to a location in the outage management system map. If multiple members call in on a particular line tap, the system predicts the extent of the outage in the area to help NLI dispatch and crews narrow down the area impacted.
When an outage shows as “verified” on the map, the event has been confirmed by NLI lineworkers and acknowledged by the dispatcher within the outage management system.
When there is an outage on the map, click on the outage icon to see additional members out of power and, if known, the predicted length of the outage.
When NLI has large, widespread outage events, this map is helpful to see their extent and give members a glimpse into the variety of issues experienced.
The map also provides a weather overlay, base map options, and outage summaries.
NLI’s outage map is designed to work on a laptop or desktop computer. The updated version has a mobile-specific format to access on your smartphone or tablet.
If you experience an outage, please report it through NLI’s outage phone line at (866) 665-4837, or text the word “OUTAGE” to the outage line number and follow the prompts. You also can report an outage through NLI’s SmartHub app by selecting the words “report outage/acct issue” at the top of the page. Then select “power outage” and select your address to make the report.
Reporting your outage helps NLI’s system predict the location and extent of an outage. If you see specific damage— such as lines on the ground, broken poles, or trees on lines—please provide that information.
Although NLI hopes to not have outages, if one does occur, the outage map will provide important and up-to-date information.
Northern Lights Engineering & Operations Manager Kristin Mettke is an electrical engineer and has worked in the electric utility industry most of her career.
