By the California Utilities Emergency Association (CUEA)
When disasters strike California—whether through wildfires, severe storms, flooding, or major grid impacts—the reliability of our lifeline systems becomes the foundation of community safety. Power must stay on for hospitals. Water must remain available for firefighting and public health. Telecom networks must function so emergency information reaches the people who need it. Fuel and pipeline systems must continue supporting transportation and response efforts.
In these moments, no single utility can carry the responsibility alone. Disasters don’t respect boundaries, sectors, or service territories—and that’s why mutual assistance is one of the most powerful and effective tools in California’s emergency response system.
How Mutual Assistance Strengthens Lifeline Services
CUEA’s statewide mutual assistance framework enables electric, water, wastewater, telecom, fuel, and pipeline partners to support each other during an incident. This coordinated support can include:
- Field crews and specialized personnel
- Materials, tools, and equipment
- Technical and operational expertise
- Logistics support and restoration resources
When resource needs exceed a utility’s capacity, mutual assistance becomes the bridge that keeps essential services stable and helps communities recover faster.
One of the unique strengths of California’s model, especially for CUEA members, is that mutual assistance can be activated without a formal disaster declaration.
This flexibility allows utilities to respond quickly, share resources earlier, and address evolving impacts before they escalate.
Coordination That Speeds Restoration
While each utility maintains operational control, CUEA supports the communication and connection behind the scenes:
- Sharing of resource requests
- Identifying available support from partner utilities
- Facilitating introductions between providers
- Helping align with State Operations Center coordination
- Supporting situational awareness across sectors
This coordination helps reduce delays, strengthens cross-sector awareness, and improves restoration timelines statewide.
Disasters often impact multiple sectors at once—power interruptions can affect water systems, telecom outages can delay emergency notifications, and pipeline disruptions can cascade through transportation and energy. Mutual assistance helps ensure that partners are not operating in isolation but instead are supported by a statewide network.
More Than a Process — A Commitment to Community Safety
Mutual assistance is built on a simple but powerful principle:
When one utility is impacted, we all have a role in supporting the response.
California’s ability to protect communities depends on strong relationships, steady communication, and a shared commitment to restoring services quickly and safely. CUEA’s role is to help coordinate those connections so utilities can collaborate confidently and efficiently.
As disasters become more frequent and complex, mutual assistance will continue to be a cornerstone of California’s infrastructure resilience.