Hurricane Irene: Gulf Power Crews At Work; EREC Lends Lodging Trailers

August 31, 2011

In the wake of Hurricane Irene, one North Escambia area electric utility was working to restore power near Washington Tuesday, while another was lending a hand by providing lodging trailers to a North Carolina utility.

A Gulf Power storm restoration team of 65 employees — 48 line personnel and 17 support staff members — worked in neighborhoods in the Upper Marlboro, Md., area Tuesday helping electric utility Pepco restore power in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene. Upper Marlboro is located about 20 miles east of Washington, D.C. and is near Andrews Air Force Base.

Tuesday’s work involved service lines stretching as long as four blocks, much longer than Gulf Power’s service lines.

“It takes a lot more time to get these longer lines back up,” said Jeff Rogers, Gulf Power spokesperson. “In addition, we’re doing a lot of work in back lots and in tight places, but things are progressing well.”

As of 3 p.m. Tuesday, Pepco reported that power had been restored to almost 95 percent of its 220,000 customers who lost power from the storm.

Escambia River Electric Cooperative sent five lodging trailers to New Bern, North Carolina, to provide housing for electric cooperative crewmen as power is restored in the city, which was 100 percent without power following Hurricane Irene.

“It is difficult at best to find housing for hundreds or even thousands of workers in an area whose infrastructure has been devastated. EREC acquired trailers and renovated them into bunk housing for use by our cooperative after a storm. However, these trailers are available for use by other cooperatives when needed,” said Clay Campbell, EREC’s general manager/CEO.

Each of EREC’s five trailers will sleep 33 people with central heat and air, individual storage lockers, lighting and electrical outlets. In addition, EREC also has a shower  trailer with 10 showers and sinks.

Pictured top: Gulf Power crews worked Tuesday about 20 miles from Washington, D.C. , in the Upper Marlboro, Md., area. Pictured inset: Sleeping quarters inside an EREC lodging trailer. Pictured below: EREC’s lodging trailers head for North Carolina. Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.



Comments

One Response to “Hurricane Irene: Gulf Power Crews At Work; EREC Lends Lodging Trailers”

  1. HURRICANE IVAN SURVIVOR on August 31st, 2011 3:07 pm

    THANK YOU to all responders! i remember after Ivan when the utility trucks from out of town showed up to restore our power…please give them water and applause as they pull up!