For entrepreneurs with a provocative vision for energy & IT; NGP is the only utility venture & innovation fund that taps into the global network of National Grid, accelerating companies with investment, innovation, incubation & biz dev; realizing the full potential of energy.

National Grid Partners

When storms hit, every minute counts. For Oriana Sharwani, Director of New England Electric Emergency Planning for National Grid, the challenge was managing the logistics behind a large, multi-state workforce. Each event meant hours spent calling dozens of vendors to line up external line and tree crews, coordinating deployment on the fly, then later chasing down time sheets and payments. At the very moment when speed mattered most, the process was slow, manual, and error-prone. 

Today, that’s changing. Storm Manager, a software platform for weather and disaster response developed by Miami-based startup Urbint, has streamlined National Grid’s storm-response operations. The AI-powered application automates crew management end to end, linking National Grid’s planning team with internal staff and outside contractors. Just as importantly, Storm Manager activates before adverse weather even hits—forecasting needs and positioning crews in advance. So when wind and rain arrive, the utility is ready. 

“In the past, when a storm came, I would call approximately 125 individual vendors, looking for crews. With Storm Manager, I know instantly who’s available. What used to take me 8 to 12 hours now requires 19 minutes.” — Oriana Sharwani, National Grid 

Urbint was recently acquired by Itron, Inc., a global leader in utility technology. The move promises to enhance the scalability of platforms like Storm Manager, giving Urbint—which will continue to operate independently—access to more data sources that can help predict and manage disruptions.   

“We see this as a benefit to utilities such as National Grid, accelerating their response to extreme weather events. Think of it as Urbint 2.0.” — Matt Crye, Chief Customer Officer, Urbint 

Storm Manager operates from a centralized database of approved vendors and partners, maintained jointly by Urbint and National Grid. Vendors update their crew availability before, during, and after events. As storms are forecast or underway, the platform cross-references National Grid’s needs (how many crews, where, and when) with vendor capacity. It flags which vendors have resources available and suggests optimal assignments, updating in real time so planners always see the latest options. 

The app also provides real-time visibility into both internal and external crews—including personnel, equipment, contractor points of contact, and arrival times. 

“We’re getting the right crews to the right places much faster. Storm Manager also enables us to deliver more consistent and accurate reporting of field resources to our regulators.” —Theresa Leib, Emergency Planning Program Manager, National Grid 

How It Works

Storm Manager extends beyond mobilization. The platform helps match crews to the nearest available lodging and meal locations, cutting down transit times. All details are stored in the app, with addresses linked to maps and directions, so information is always at hand. 

On the backend, Storm Manager verifies crew mobilization and de-mobilization times, supporting more accurate billing and resource allocation. 

Supporting Crews in the Field

With increasing storm frequency and intensity, National Grid began exploring ways to improve its response and recovery efforts. In 2019, the utility issued a request for proposals to three utility risk management and resilience technology startups. Urbint met the utility’s criteria, and in 2021, Storm Manager officially launched. As National Grid expands its use of the platform and adds new functionality, Urbint shares those costs and capabilities with other utilities, helping strengthen resilience industry-wide. 

In fact, Sharwani and Leib now collaborate directly with utilities evaluating Storm Manager, offering insights into how the platform supports faster response and better coordination. Future modules include invoicing for external crews; GPS and sensor tracking for exact crew locations; and enhanced reporting to help National Grid better assess performance after storms. 

Implementation and Roadmap

Change wasn’t instant. At first, Sharwani encountered some resistance to adopting Storm Manager. It was new technology, and vendors and crews were comfortable with the status quo. But a turning point came during a major storm on March 4,2023 when the app briefly went offline—for less than a minute. “The response from the field was immediate and dramatic,” she recalls. “Internal stakeholders and external crews wanted it back online.” 

Demand has only grown. National Grid has seen more crews volunteering for storm duty—reversing the long-standing dynamic in which many avoided the chaos of emergency response. 

 “We wish every utility used Storm Manager,” said Sharwani. “Then we could collaboratively distribute crews more effectively across regions. After all, we’re all in the same storms.”  

Every Minute Counts: How Urbint’s Storm Manager Helps National Grid Respond Faster