This is National Preparedness Month, when we as a Nation take time to create plans to stay safe for any disaster that could potentially affect our ...
September 24, 2015
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This is National Preparedness Month, when we as a Nation take time to create plans to stay safe for any disaster that could potentially affect our communities. This year’s theme is “Don't Wait. Communicate. Make Your Emergency Plan Today.” Each week throughout the month, a different preparedness theme, such as flood, wildfire and hurricane, has been featured to encourage you to consider the kinds of events that could affect your community.
During this week’s Power Outage Week, please take time to plan and practice your response so that you know what to do to be safe if the power goes out. Whether you are a homeowner, business or community leader, you can find information on our website to help prepare before an energy emergency occurs. Because every emergency is different, it is important for your safety that you follow the directives of your state and local emergency management authorities and local utilities. Before engaging in any activities that could impact utility services such as electricity or natural gas, contact your local utility to ensure that the activities are done safely.
At the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, we are working diligently with our private and public partners to help ensure our Nation’s power grid is reliable, resilient, flexible and secure, regardless of whether the hazard is natural or manmade. As part of the National Response Framework (NRF), the Federal government established Emergency Support Functions that help the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) prepare for and respond to emergencies that affect the Nation. DOE is the lead agency for Emergency Support Function 12 – also known as ESF-12 – the energy support coordinator. When activated by FEMA, we lead the Federal effort to support energy issues at the state, territory, tribal, and local level. Recently we responded to Typhoon Soudelor in Saipan, a US territory in the Pacific Ocean, to provide unified situational awareness and subject matter expertise. Our efforts allowed the Government to make resource decisions that expedited local stakeholders’ restoration of energy systems. You can see reports from that event and others posted on our website. Each report provides vital incident information including electricity outage numbers and the status of fuel supplies enabling an effective restoration process at the local level.
The Department of Energy and FEMA have worked together to provide tools and resources for everyone to build a plan, and be ready for all types of emergencies, including those that result in power outages. To find these resources and learn more about how to be better prepared and protect your family during emergencies, visit www.ready.gov. Knowing what to do in case of a disaster will help you get through it more easily, and could even save your life. Don't Wait. Communicate. Make Your Emergency Plan Today.
Patricia A. Hoffman
Acting Assistant Secretary, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Electricity
Former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Electricity (OE) at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Ms. Patricia A. Hoffman also served as Acting Under Secretary for Science and Energy from January 2017 until November 2017 when the U.S. Senate confirmed Mark Menezes as Under Secretary of Energy. Ms. Hoffman served as Acting Assistant Secretary for OE from January 2017 until October 2017 when the OE Assistant Secretary was confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
Ms. Hoffman was named Assistant Secretary for OE from June 2010 to January 2017, after serving as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary since November 2007. The focus of her responsibility was to provide leadership on a national level to modernize the electric grid, enhance the security and reliability of the energy infrastructure and facilitate recovery from disruptions to the energy supply both domestically and internationally. This is critical to meeting the Nation’s growing demand for reliable electricity by overcoming the challenges of our Nation’s aging electricity transmission and distribution system and addressing the vulnerabilities in our energy supply chain.
Prior to her this position, Ms. Hoffman served in a dual capacity as Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS) for Research and Development (R&D) and Chief Operating Officer (COO) within OE. During her tenure as the DAS for R&D, she developed the long-term research strategy and improved the management portfolio of research programs for modernizing and improving the resiliency of the electric grid. This included developing and implementing sensors and operational tools for wide-area monitoring, energy storage research and demonstration, and the development of advanced conductors to increase the capacity and flexibility of the grid. She also initiated a new research effort focused on integrating and distributing renewable energy through the electric grid, such as promoting plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and implementing smart grid technologies to maintain system reliability. As COO, she managed the OE business operations, including human resources, budget development, financial execution, and performance management.
Prior to joining OE, she was the Program Manager for the Federal Energy Management Program within the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at DOE. This program guides the Federal government to “lead by example” promoting energy efficiency, renewable energy, and smart energy management. Complementing her building energy efficiency experience, she also was the Program Manager for the Distributed Energy Program, which conducted research on advanced natural gas power generation and combined heat and power systems. Her accomplishments included the successful completion of the Advanced Turbine System program resulting in a high-efficiency industrial gas turbine power generation product.
Ms. Hoffman holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Ceramic Science and Engineering from Pennsylvania State University.