Appalachian Power

If it takes an army of people in the field to restore power after a devastating storm like #HurricaneHelene, you can be sure there’s another army of volunteers behind the scenes, taking care of them. Whitney Czelusniak and her mother were among the many kindhearted people who pitched in to make sure crews were well fed at one Virginia service station. Along with Karen Gilmer, they earned the thanks of an AEP Texas employee who said he had never felt so at home while on storm duty. Read more: https://ms.spr.ly/6043WG8sH

The numbers are in... ?? After Hurricane Helene passed through Appalachia, 7,360 storm response workers were dedicated to restoring power to 282,000 of our customers in just over a week. Together, they repaired 214 miles of power lines -- that's about the distance from Charleston, WV to Kingsport, TN. ????

While working to restore power to Duke Energy Corporation customers in Indian Rocks Beach, Florida, our crews made a quick stop to support young entrepreneurs and enjoy some coffee and lemonade at Grove Surf + Coffee. ??? We're thankful that Avery, Anna and Clara thought of their community and lineworkers after Hurricane Milton. Their positivity and kindness made our day. ????

?? As a result of Hurricane Helene, crews worked to rebuild much of the energy grid across Virginia, West Virginia, and Tennessee. This required relocating some of our facilities, such as the ones shown here near Richlands. ??♂? A total of 38 crews worked together to complete this job, including those from 8 different linework contract companies and 20 tree trimming crews. Jeff and Shane, Point Pleasant engineering technicians, were among the dozens of workers committed to getting power restored to this community. ?? This job required about a 9,000 feet line relocation. The relocation was originally planned as an upcoming reliability improvement project for the area, but it was expedited after damage from Hurricane Helene. “We built this new, higher-capacity line along the roadway, rather than repairing the old line, which was mostly located in off-road terrain,” said Jeff. This allowed crews to work more quickly, safely, and efficiently throughout our restoration efforts, and it will allow for easier accessibility in the future. ?? Thanks to their hard work, we’re proud to say that Richlands is back up and running, better than it was before.

?? After Hurricane Helene, the Appalachian Mountains called for help, and lineworkers from across the country answered. We send our heartfelt thanks to them, as well as everyone who has been dedicated to rebuilding the communities we call home. ??? Workers from 27 states helped our crews and contractors restore electric service. Mutual assistance crews traveled from Alabama; Arkansas; Connecticut; Delaware; Florida; Georgia; Illinois; Indiana; Iowa; Kansas; Kentucky; Louisiana; Maine; Maryland; Massachusetts; Michigan; Missouri; Nebraska; New Hampshire; New York; Ohio; Oklahoma; Pennsylvania; Rhode Island; Texas; Vermont; and Wisconsin. ?? Over 320 assessors worked on foot, by drone and by helicopter to assess storm damage. Workers faced historic flooding, fallen trees and debris, and road and bridge closures. ?? More than 1,400 forestry personnel worked to remove trees, limbs and debris hazards from each of the 3,100 unique locations across Northeast Tennessee, Southern Virginia and Southern West Virginia needing repairs following the storm. ?? With their support, we rebuilt the energy grid and restored power using special equipment for hard-to-access areas, including helicopters, digger derricks and track machines. Some areas required 2-person crews to hand-dig 8-foot-deep holes to place new poles, which, depending on the location, could take between 2-4 hours to complete. ?? In total, crews replaced more than 1,455 poles, 214 miles of wire and 438 transformers, among hundreds of other critical pieces of electrical infrastructure.

?? Do you know what's on an electric power pole?

When Bill S., network crew supervisor, learned about an outage at a local high school, he knew he needed to help and headed that way. With crews out the night prior and a large scheduled outage in the works, Bill knew he could step up to help get the lights back on quickly. ?? Throughout his 34+ years of on-the-job experience, Bill has always been known for his willingness to pitch in and help others in the Wheeling community. His decades of experience never fail to make a positive impact on those around him. ?? While this outage occurred while school was out for summer break, it's used for meetings, training events, and to prepare meals for several in the county, making restoration a top priority. ?? Thank you, Bill, for all you do to help keep the lights on and for making a difference in the Wheeling community. ??

Hurricane Francine has passed, but we keep going. 56 of our lineworkers continue to repair damage and restore power for Louisianans impacted by the storm. ?? We've spent the past several days in the heart of New Orleans. Now we're wrapping up work in the Houma area. ??? Part of being a lineworker means answering the call of communities in need. Whether that call is from a local neighborhood in Appalachia or from a city 1,000 miles away, it's our job to step up to the plate and do what we can to get the lights back on. ?? Let's give these folks a round of applause for all their hard work! Stay strong, Louisiana. ??

Our crews made their way south this week to help our friends at AEP Texas and Entergy keep the lights on for customers in the path of Hurricane Francine. Over 50 of our employees are prepared to help restore power as quickly and safely as possible. We’re keeping our crews, Texans, and Louisianans in our thoughts. ??: This is the second time this summer we’ve travelled traveled south to help communities in need. Timothy B., meter network technician, captured this drone video during our mutual assistance efforts in Texas following Hurricane Beryl, and we plan to have our drones airborne again to help with restoration efforts from Hurricane Francine.

Today, we pause to remember and honor those we lost on September 11. We stand together, reflecting on our shared values and the strength that comes from our community. #PatriotDay ???? ??