In the wake of Winter Storm Fern, multiple counties across Mississippi were left in total devastation. Forty-five employees from both the electric and fiber sides of our organizations answered the call to lend mutual aid to our sister co-ops, with the first round of help arriving in Iuka, Mississippi, on January 27.
The resounding sentiment from those on site was the same: “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Work began in Tishomingo County, and upon arrival, crews were met with snow flurries, icy roads and temperatures not even in the teens, resulting in broken poles as far as the eye could see. After assessing the situation, crews hit the ground running, clearing lines and removing frozen trees as carefully as possible.
Power restoration
“That ice does way more damage than a hurricane ever will,” said Kyle Hutto, Journeyman Lineman at CAEC’s West Operations Center (WOC). “When you have that many broken poles in a row, everyone gathers and just goes forward. I’ve been on multiple storms and hurricanes, and I’ve never seen anything like that. Trees were everywhere, and poles were all in the road.”
Due to the terrain and sheer number of broken poles, crews tackled the job in waves with one group clearing the lines and cutting trees, the next coming behind to set poles and the next putting what wire could be salvaged back on the poles.
Clay Walker, Lead Lineman for CAEC’s East Operations Center (EOC) arrived in the second rotation in Tishomingo. By the time they arrived, the ice had thawed and temperatures were in the 50’s, and the devastation rivaled an ice storm he helped with in Kentucky back in 2009.
“There was one or more inches of ice on the lines, and you’re talking about every single span having something messed up,” he said. “Whether it was a pole leaning or wires down, there was something wrong with every single span across about 4,000 miles of line.”
Crews worked from sunrise to sunset, putting in up to 16 hours each day.
Rerouting to fiber
As his crew was heading home, Walker received a call that linemen were needed in Tallahatchie County to lend a hand with fiber restoration. He and other volunteers quickly rerouted to meet up with our Central Access Fiber Technicians.
Caleb Smith, Fiber Technician, said this was the first time Central Access employees were sent on restoration efforts. Smith said seeing the devastation firsthand was “an eye-opener” and it could be another year before the area’s fiber system is completely up and running again.
“We thought we were going to be going up there by ourselves, but then they called and said some linemen were going to join us,” said Smith. “That was extremely helpful because we ran into situations where we didn’t recognize some power-based things, and they were able to educate us and help us through that.”
Linemen arrived on day three in Tallahatchie with three large bucket trucks and two service trucks. Walker said that once they hit their stride, work began to go by quickly and the Central team was soon dubbed “The Super Crew.” Walker adds that being able to work side-by-side with the fiber techs was equally as beneficial for the linemen, as it helped both sides learn more about the daily operations of each job, and it helped streamline the restoration process. He hopes they are able to continue that kind of teamwork on future mutual aid trips.
Paying it forward
Smith said it was an amazing experience watching different people from co-ops across the nation come together in the wake of such devastation, truly showcasing the cooperative principle of Cooperation Among Cooperatives.
This was Walker’s 41st restoration trip, and every time, he says the most rewarding part is finally hearing that all clear yell come down the line.
“It’s just what we do,” said Walker. “You don’t do it for the satisfaction. You just keep the mindset of making someone’s day better.”
Linework and fiber work can be tough and taxing, but these men agree that being able to help those in need makes it all worth it.
In the end, Hutto said it comes down to paying it forward.
“What if you were out working somewhere else and your power was out at home? You would want another lineman or fiber tech to have gone that extra mile for you,” he said. “In this community of linemen and fibermen, we all share that same drive and want, otherwise I don’t think we would do the jobs we do. We all expect that in return in a sense.”
