First Utility District was ready when a series of heavy downpours drenched Knoxville, Tennessee, in February 2019. Unprecedented flooding inflicted $2 million in damage to district infrastructure, yet the utility reacted much like it does any other day.
“You find out on normal days who you are and respond that way in an emergency,” is how Bruce Giles puts it. Readiness comes from training capable people to handle a crisis with the same aplomb they do routine operations. While responses to emergency and daily situations differ dramatically, they are formulated by the same team of administrators and in-the-field personnel. In February 2019 and
