When severe weather threatens the U.S. power grid, utilities can spend days preparing crews and equipment for the restoration work that may follow. For the thousands of linemen who travel between regions to support those efforts, however, finding where they will be needed can remain a fragmented process.
Information about storm-restoration work can move through contractors, text messages, social media groups and word of mouth. That creates a timing problem for workers who may need to travel hundreds of miles to reach the next opportunity.
KYRO AI is looking to address that gap with Storm Call Center, a free application that provides linemen with a nationwide view of potential and active storm-restoration calls.
“For too long, linemen, who are the frontline people that the storm response industry arguably relies on most, have been among the last to hear when and where they’re needed,” said Hari Vasudevan, Founder and CEO of KYRO AI.
The application is designed to give workers information earlier in the storm-response cycle, allowing them to identify regions where restoration demand is expected to develop rather than waiting for a contractor to contact them.
A new layer for storm-response logistics
Storm Call Center combines storm forecasts with information about potential restoration demand.
Its map provides likelihood ratings at the state, county and utility level, categorized as low, moderate or high. Users can also view predicted storm paths and use their location to identify nearby opportunities.
The platform can send SMS alerts for selected regions when predicted storm calls become available. Once a call goes live, push notifications alert users in real time, while a one-tap opt-in allows linemen to indicate their interest in joining the response.
The distinction is relevant in an industry where an outage map and a restoration opportunity are not necessarily the same thing.
Power outages can show where electricity has already been disrupted, but they do not necessarily tell an independent lineman where contractors are assembling crews or where additional workers are likely to be needed.
Storm Call Center is designed to connect those two pieces of information.
The product is available nationwide in the U.S. through desktop and mobile web, as well as iOS and Android.
Connecting the storm-response workflow
KYRO AI is positioning Storm Call Center as the entry point to a broader platform used throughout the storm-response process.
After a lineman opts into a live call, the company’s platform can support profiles, crew rosters and status updates. It also includes tools for timesheets, expenses, invoicing and funding.
The company says its platform connects utilities, contractors, linemen and working-capital providers, with more than $250 billion in program value supported across U.S. infrastructure initiatives.
The strategy reflects a broader opportunity in infrastructure software: digitizing processes that still depend heavily on phone calls, spreadsheets, fragmented communication channels and manual administrative work.
Storm restoration is particularly suited to this approach because demand can change rapidly. A storm’s path can shift, utilities can require additional crews and workers can be competing for information about multiple opportunities at the same time.
By putting potential calls in front of linemen before they become fully active, KYRO AI is extending its platform upstream, from managing restoration work to helping workers discover it in the first place.
Storm Call Center is available free of charge nationwide, adding a public-facing layer to KYRO AI’s existing software for the companies and workers involved in storm restoration.
