Power to the people

COLUMBIA BASIN — When the phones of PUD linemen ring late at night in the wake of strong winds, they know it's time to go to work.

The storm on Jan. 7 tore down more than 100 power poles, leaving many without power in the George, Quincy and Crescent Bar areas, resulting in a flood of calls to the PUD.

Power was restored to all customers early Thursday afternoon thanks to round-the-clock efforts from the PUD.

Debbie Lowe, PUD customer service manager, said when storms cause damage on such a large level, phones ring off the hook. To accommodate this rush of calls coming from some of the 1,775 customers who lost power, an extra call center was established.

"There are a lot of other people within the utility who kick into high gear when something like this happens. For example, the customer service representatives that work over in the Moses Lake office. They were working around the clock. Our usual dispatch is so busy in the event of an emergency this size that the phone calls get rerouted through customer service," Lowe said.

As a phone center is being established, line crews begin working around the clock to restore power.

Angela Harmon's husband Rex is a lineman and she's seen him leave for work late at night, sometimes at 3 a.m., but understands the motivation.

"I know that they have this desperate drive to get the job done because they know that they have these people without power and it's just amazing to see them go," she said.

Gene Huberdeau, PUD line superintendent, said the pride and dedication in the linemen's work shows in the storm's wake.

"It's just knowing that you're unique, you have the ability to restore the power to people and that provides a lot of gratitude to (the linemen). I think that's their main drive. There's the loyalty to the customer that keeps them going," Huberdeau said.

In response to the Jan. 7 storm, there were between 30 to 40 people in the field for initial repairs.

The first step is making sure roads are clear of power lines to keep drivers safe.

If damage is severe enough, workers start a shift of up to 40 hours before getting an 8- to 10-hour break. Then workers do 16-hour shifts with 8-hour breaks in between until the demand is down. On Sunday, there was only one hour of daylight to assess damage since outage calls began in the afternoon.

He said the work was almost continuous, as linemen repair one pole and literally move down the road to the next. Adams Road, he said, had about 40 downed poles.

Huberdeau, who was a lineman for 25 years, said the hardest part of the job is coming home from a long shift and trying to get some sleep before the next shift while being preoccupied with work. He said the job didn't really leave his mind.

Line crews check on people in areas lacking telephone service by heading out there and seeing if customers are safe in the absence of power.

Workers notify, via media or customer service representatives, areas where power is restored to ensure nobody is overlooked.

Once power is restored, crews can catch up on sleep, since the extra-length shifts are no longer required. Harmon said she appreciates the efforts of her husband and the employees at the PUD, who work in terrible weather for long hours to restore power.

"We take for granted walking over and flicking the light on," she said.