About the Client

In late 2018, severe flooding and erosion struck Corsicana, Texas, leaving behind damaged poles, washed-out terrain, and unsafe conditions that made traditional inspections impossible. Oncor, one of the largest energy delivery companies in Texas needed a rapid, safe, and compliant way to evaluate storm impacts without putting field crews at risk or delaying restoration.

To overcome these barriers and maintain continuity of operations, a field services company partnered with KYRO to deploy KYRO’s StormShield solution, a digital platform integrating AI-driven analytics, helping remote inspections, and real-time collaboration for fast, safe, and precise storm damage assessments.

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Key Impacts

KYRO StormShield transformed the post-storm recovery process by enabling a fully remote inspection workflow that maintained accuracy while dramatically improving safety and efficiency.  

• 100% remote inspections of damaged, inaccessible infrastructure.  

• 30% cost savings by avoiding ROW clearing and heavy machinery use.

• 40% faster restoration, reducing customer downtime.

• Zero safety incidents by keeping crews out of flood-affected areas.

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‍The Challenge

The aftermath of the Corsicana storm presented multiple operational hurdles:

• Floodwaters and significant erosion made physical access to poles and equipment unsafe or impossible.

• Winds up to 25 mph and dense vegetation further complicated visibility and ground-based inspection efforts.

• Strict deadlines for inspection reporting and restoration added urgency to the response.

• Using right-of-way equipment in unstable terrain carried significant hazards for personnel.

• Poor connectivity in disaster-hit areas made it difficult to relay inspection updates from the field in real time.

• Critical inspection findings were often passed via calls or emails, risking delays and the loss of vital data.

• Without centralized documentation, information often lived in individual inboxes, creating knowledge gaps during ongoing restoration work.

Oncor and their partners needed a business intelligence-driven storm management approach that could deliver real-time data and decision-ready insights without exposing crews to unnecessary hazards.

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‍The Solution

KYRO StormShield was implemented as an end-to-end solution to address these challenges, combining data from drone-enabled remote inspections with AI-powered decision support and collaborative business intelligence:

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• Offline Capability for Field Crews: In poor connectivity areas, crews captured inspection details directly in KYRO’s mobile app while information was still fresh. Once back online, the data synced automatically to centralized dashboards, ensuring no critical detail was lost and giving managers instant visibility.

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• AI-Powered Decision Support: Advanced analytics enhanced the clarity and interpretability of inspection images, allowing rapid assessment of structural integrity. This capability enabled restoration approvals to proceed without requiring time-consuming, hazardous on-foot inspections.

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• Centralized Data & Collaboration: Instead of relying on scattered emails or text messages, all inspection data, images, and reports were securely stored within KYRO’s platform, making it instantly accessible to engineers, project managers, and leadership, regardless of location. This eliminated the risk of losing knowledge when team members changed roles or left the organization.

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• Remote Aerial Inspections: Using KYRO’s integrated platform, drones were launched onsite to capture live, high-definition imagery of critical structural components such as welds, bolts, and cross-arms. Offsite engineers were able to capture the data and review these visuals in real time, ensuring thorough inspection coverage without field presence.  

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• Cost-Efficient Execution: By relying on data from remote drone evaluations, the contractor avoided the often-costly and time-intensive need for right-of-way clearing and deployment of heavy machinery. This approach not only cut direct costs but also minimized environmental impact.

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• Crew Safety & Risk Reduction: Eliminating the need for personnel to enter unsafe flood zones dramatically lowered safety risks. The data-rich drone footage and detailed reports ensured that the quality and accuracy of inspections remained uncompromised, maintaining regulatory and operational standards.

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By equipping Oncor’s teams and contractors with real-time data and intuitive workflows, KYRO transformed a complex, high-pressure storm recovery effort into a coordinated, controlled operation.  

Crews could work safer, leadership could act faster, and damage inspections were completed without delays, ensuring communities in Corsicana got their power back swiftly and securely.

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