Nova Scotia Power launches upgraded outage map

Nova Scotia Power has launched a redesigned outage map in response to recommendations made after post tropical storm Arthur in 2014.

The new map is more geographical and NSP spokesperson Maeghan Murphy said that was done based on requests from customers.

"The biggest thing our customers will notice is, we speak to all outages that are affecting Nova Scotia Power customers, rather than a hundred customers that our former map used to report on,"

Users also have the ability to zoom in on specific streets and neighbourhoods. NSP said it is completely functional on mobile phones and tablets.

Part of bigger upgrade

Murphy said the changes are part of a greater upgrade to the communication methods NSP uses to get in touch with customers during large outages.

"That included our outage map, our website and our outage line so they are significantly fortified now and we are confident we have a solid suite of products to offer our customers," she said.

The ability to get information from Nova Scotia Power was a source of frustration for many customers after post tropical storm Arthur.

The July 2014 storm barrelled through the Maritimes, cutting power to 245,000 Nova Scotian customers. Full restoration took one week. Western Nova Scotia was particularly hard hit.

32 recommendations made

Consultants hired by the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board made 32 recommendations on how NSP could improve its performance and the utility promised to implement 31 of them.

Nova Scotia Power said it will hire additional weather forecasters, improve its restoration performance, redesign its automated outage line and fortify its website to withstand high-traffic volumes.

"Out of that review, it gave us a good opportunity to ask our customers what they'd like to see more of," Murphy said.

"It was quite clear that they want more detailed information about their outages and channels to contact us."

The upgraded map should be available to all users within 24 hours.