A Chattanooga-based electrical contractor dispatched 172 linemen last week to help restore power in South Texas after winds and rains from Hurricane Harvey cut off electricity to nearly 300,000 homes and businesses.
"I went on [Hurricane] Katrina in 2005, but in my opinion this one tops even Katrina," said Jody Shea, CEO of the Service Electric Co., a division of Quanta Services Co. "The damage was so spread out and devastating over such a wide area."
When Katrina hit New Orleans 12 years ago, it was the costliest natural disaster in American history.
But this year could end up topping that record. As Service Electric Co. crews begin returning home from Texas after aiding American Electric Power repair downed and damaged power lines, work crews are getting ready to head south to help with expected damages from an even bigger storm, Hurricane Irma.
Utilities across Florida on Wednesday appealed to other utilities to help prepare for Hurricane Irma.
The Tennessee Valley Public Power Association, the Chattanooga-based trade group for the 155 municipalities and power cooperatives that buy TVA power, was contacted by the American Public Power Association with a request from the governor of Florida and the Federal Energy Management Agency to help identify mutual aid crews that could be deployed after the landfall of Hurricane Irma.
TVPPA spokesman Phillip Burgess said TVPPA "is currently assessing the availability of crews, equipment and timeline for deployment to affected areas of Florida."
For now, most utilities in the region are keeping their crews close to home to ensure they are ready for any storm remnants from Hurricane Irma that could damage power lines in the Tennessee Valley this weekend or early next week.
"Currently, we're in a wait-and-see mode to see how this storm pattern is going to affect us because, of course, we need to make sure we can cover our primary responsibility before we send crew support elsewhere," EPB spokesman J.Ed. Marston said.
EPB dispatched a crew to Texas in advance of Hurricane Harvey hitting shore to aid in that recovery, Marston said.
But much of the extra work to restore power is done by contractors such as Service Electric Co., which operates seven offices and has about 1,300 employees.
Service Electric, which started in 1945, was acquired by Quanta Services in 2012 and at that time Dillard Smith Construction was merged into Service Electric to form one company.
"Our crews in East and Middle Tennessee are some of the best storm response crews in the business and they are usually the first ones to be called for anywhere from Miami to Maine and from Michigan to Texas," Shea said. "Our guys get the call, they go get their clothes and they take off."
Shea said the crews often work 16 hour days, but safety is continually emphasized in the hazardous conditions.
"You have anything from a 2-by-4 with a nail sticking up to a rattle snack or an alligator," he said of the ongoing work in Texas. "The storm has caused the mosquito population to multiply immensely causing another hazard for the men while working in an already tough environment."
On Tuesday night, a contract lineman for T&D Solutions was killed while working to restore power in Bloomington, Texas. The accident is under investigation, but American Electric Power Texas ordered a stand down for all contract workers after the incident to emphasize safety in the storm recovery efforts.
Contact Dave Flessner at dflessner@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6340.