OUC line technicians worked all day Thursday on restoring power to a Tallahassee neighborhood.
OUC’s three line crews deployed to Tallahassee in the wake of Hurricane Idalia made “great progress” on Thursday, their first day in the field restoring power.
Jeff Cockcroft, Line Supervisor, said his crews of 17 line technicians and a Fleet technician were tasked with restoring power to a neighborhood with extensive tree damage from Idalia’s winds.
“We made great progress in clearing felled trees from down powerlines and getting new laterals back up so power could be restored to residents,” he said. “Customers are glad to see us.”
He added that while the temperature hit 91 degrees, cloud cover helped to mitigate the heat and the humidity.
“Everyone is working really hard, and the guys who have never been on a hurricane deployment are really eager to learn,” Cockcroft said.
OUC utility vehicles line a neighborhood street, a reassuring sign for residents who lost power.
He expected them to be in the field until 8 p.m., 14 hours after their workday began.
On Wednesday, OUC dispatched the three crews in response to the City of Tallahassee Utilities’ request for mutual aid assistance. Public utilities call on each other for help in times of emergencies.
On the road trip to Tallahassee, OUC’s convoy of 15 utility vehicles had to exit westbound Interstate 10 at Madison because the highway leading to Tallahassee was closed. The trucks were routed by GPS to a single-lane dirt road that would have been impassable if not for crew members using chainsaws to clear fallen trees. Cockcroft said they made their way to U.S. Highway 90 and took that route to the state capital.
