Sensus FlexNet Communication Network Prepares Utilities for the Unexpected

Real-time data helps utilities restore service after hurricanes

RALEIGH, N.C.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#CorpusChristi–(Click-to-Tweet)
– The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season, which ends November 30, will be
remembered as one of the top ten most active in recorded history.
Millions of Americans were left without critical services as storms
devastated the continental United States, the U.S. Virgin Islands and
Puerto Rico. With the season now over, we can look back at how
Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria caused catastrophic damage and left
utilities racing to restore services for their customers. With the FlexNet®
communication network from Sensus,
a Xylem brand, utilities can better prepare for the havoc Mother Nature
wreaks with a resilient, reliable system for quickly getting their
infrastructure back up and running.

“After a natural disaster, all eyes focus on repairing infrastructure
and rapidly restoring power, water and other essential services—often a
matter of life or death,” said Randolph Wheatley, vice president of
marketing of Sensus. “The FlexNet system gives utilities a resilient
network that can help them weather the devastating effects of a storm
and quickly get their customers the services they need.”

FlexNet is a two-way communications highway that delivers data over a
private network. It gives utilities real-time alerts on system-wide
issues and outages. Further, its point-to-multipoint architecture offers
a critical view of a utility’s infrastructure and provides strategic
insights to organize and increase efficiencies in disaster relief
efforts.

Getting Corpus Christi Back Up and Running

Hurricane Harvey hit the Texas Gulf Coast as a category four storm with
winds up to 130 miles per hour late in the evening Friday, August 25th.
Nueces Electric Cooperative, the only deregulated electric co-op in
Texas and only one of a handful in the United States, reported that 45
percent of its customers had lost power—which left approximately 8,200
homes and businesses in the dark. By Sunday afternoon, less than 48
hours after landfall, crews had restored power to every customer—even
those who had evacuated and were not at home to report an outage.

“The FlexNet communication system sent us timely and accurate outage
information so we were able to send our crews to the exact trouble spot
and restore customer service efficiently,” said Nueces Electric
Cooperative IT Director Sergey Seryogin. “We take pride in an effective
disaster recovery plan for our customers and the FlexNet system is the
strongest, most robust setup for outage management.”

History of Restoration

The FlexNet system has a long history of helping utilities restore
services and playing an integral part in disaster recovery efforts. In
2012, Superstorm Sandy tested the true
resiliency of the FlexNet system in Stafford Township and Seaside
Heights, New Jersey. In response to the more
than 2,260 homes damaged, these municipalities used FlexNet to
prioritize relief initiatives.

While restoration efforts took weeks and required assistance from
utility crews across the U.S. and Canada, Stafford Township and Seaside
Heights proactively assessed the data from FlexNet and sent support to
the most impacted areas, greatly improving disaster relief efficiencies
across the service areas.

Interested in learning more about how a resilient network can help
prepare your infrastructure for natural disasters? Visit www.sensus.com/resilient.

About Sensus

Sensus helps a wide range of public service providers—from utilities to
cities to industrial complexes and campuses—do more with their
infrastructure to improve quality of life in their communities. We
enable our customers to reach farther through the application of
technology and data-driven insights that deliver efficiency and
responsiveness. We partner with them to anticipate and respond to
evolving business needs with innovation in sensing and communications
technologies, data analytics and services. Learn more at sensus.com
and follow @SensusGlobal on Facebook,
LinkedIn
and Twitter.

About Xylem

Xylem (XYL) is a leading global water technology company committed to
developing innovative technology solutions to the world’s water
challenges. The Company’s products and services move, treat, analyze,
monitor and return water to the environment in public utility,
industrial, residential and commercial building services, and
agricultural settings. With its October 2016 acquisition of Sensus,
Xylem added smart metering, network technologies and advanced data
analytics to its portfolio of solutions. The Company’s nearly 16,000
employees bring broad applications expertise with a strong focus on
identifying comprehensive, sustainable solutions. Headquartered in Rye
Brook, New York with 2015 revenue of $3.7 billion, Xylem does business
in more than 150 countries through a number of market-leading product
brands.

The name Xylem is derived from classical Greek and is the tissue that
transports water in plants, highlighting the engineering efficiency of
our water-centric business by linking it with the best water
transportation of all—that which occurs in nature. For more information,
please visit www.xyleminc.com.

Contacts

For Sensus
Kim Genardo, +1-919-376-2566
[email protected]
or
Mark
Van Hook, +1-919-459-6481
[email protected]