Storm Preparation

YEC employees work together as a team to get the lights back on. To give you a glimpse of what it looks like from those working on the lines, we interviewed five operations department employees. Although their job titles, skills and years of experience are different, they all have a common goal to look out for you—our valuable members.

Zack Smith, Michael Hill, Brandon Fite, Tommy Huffstetler and Matt Craven all emphasize the importance of being prepared to stay safe and focused during storm work. When asked, all of them discuss keeping their equipment in good shape, stocking their trucks with materials needed to make common repairs, inspecting their personal protective equipment (PPE) to ensure it’s in working order, stocking up on water and snacks and making sure they have spare clothes, especially dry socks.

As far as equipment goes, 11-year employee Michael Hill points out that one of the most useful tools during storm recovery is a chainsaw.

“In a storm, your chainsaw can be your best friend,” Hill says, “so I always make sure it is sharp and running properly.”

Tommy Huffstetler also talks about the necessity of charged batteries and working lights since many outages occur at night.

Just like our employees look out for you, they also look out for each other. Fite, who has only been at YEC for a year, enjoyed working and learning during the last storm.

“It was a great experience,” he says. “I had a great teacher, Matt Craven, leading me and showing me the ropes. I thought it was also great to see how all the guys had the same goal of making sure our members are taken care of and happy.”

That same preparedness also applies on the home front. Smith, a 14-year employee, adds, “When we have the luxury of time to prepare, I will make sure my family is safe, has a plan and is prepared with supplies if needed because, chances are, I won’t be there with them. That helps me focus on my work when the time comes.”

Being prepared helps, but storm recovery is hard work.

“Sometimes it’s tough; you really have to dig deep. Storms can be very physically, mentally and emotionally draining,” says Craven.

While our safety programs and procedures help safeguard our employees against hazards, their real motivation to stay safe lies with being able to go home to their families and helping their neighbors.

Huffstetler says he looks forward to “going home to my family the same way I left them and helping the community in a time of need.”

Craven adds, “We are motivated to always do all that is possible for the member, but we also want to get home safely to our families. My wife and kids are always on my mind, too.”

At the end of the day, they want to get the lights back on—no matter the challenge. Smith says, “For me it’s rewarding to overcome the challenges and help people get back to normal after being without heat, AC, lights, water and so on—possibly for hours or days.”

And it helps to know, as Hill says, “When the lights are on you get to go home to your family.”

They speak for everyone at YEC when they say they want to get the lights back on as soon as possible.

YEC understands many members have been affected by the recent storms in our area. During Easter weekend, approximately 25% of our membership, across our entire service territory, experienced an outage. This is the largest amount of damage we have seen in more than 10 years. We appreciated your patience as we worked to make repairs, restoring power to all accounts by the next day. As our crews work to safely repair damages from severe weather, we want our members to understand the work we do ahead of time to prepare and what it takes to get your lights back on. Vice President of Energy and Delivery Denny Lynn offers insight on storm work and life on the line.

What is the biggest challenge we face when we have a storm?

Lynn: We face many challenges during and after a storm. Challenges include staying safe in storm damaged working conditions and finding access through the damage to our facilities. Above all, we want to make sure our employees are protected and stay safe. There is also a struggle of balancing our strong desire to restore service quickly with ensuring the safety of our employees, making sure they receive proper rest and nutrition. It is also challenging to determine how to best utilize our available YEC resources to best serve our members, as well as acquiring other assistance and resources from other cooperatives and contractors.

What precautions do we take to prevent storm damage?

Lynn: YEC is proactive in annual preventative maintenance on all aspects of the electric distribution system. From our aggressive right of way schedule, to maintenance and upgrades to facilities on all parts of our system, we always have storms and excellent service in mind. YEC stays on an annual maintenance process, constantly working to make the electric distribution system stronger and better.

Why do some repairs take longer than others?

Lynn: Repairs that take longer are often due to the extent of the damages and the problems of access to lines and facilities. Our employees are well trained and proficient in performing restoration in difficult situations and challenging conditions, but these situations of extensive damage and difficult access do extend restoration times occasionally. Many people are involved when a storm hits.

Can you describe the teamwork that takes place at YEC?

Lynn: Every department and every employee of YEC is actively involved in the restoration process after a major storm hits. We all have a predetermined role that is part of the overall storm response plan. There is a great deal of support work that goes on behind the scenes, including food planning and preparations, answering calls and inquiries from members, coordinating the procurement of materials, continued maintenance and repairs of equipment, communicating with members on our restoration efforts, lodging for out of town crews offering assistance and organizing financial resources to pay for materials. I’m sure I haven’t listed each role played by our team, but you can see there are many key areas that are not readily seen on the forefront of the overall restoration effort.

Describe the hazards that come with storm work and YEC’s safety culture.

Lynn: Storm restoration work on an electric distribution system is filled with hazards of every imaginable sort. Large downed trees on power lines, safely handling and working with high voltage, working high in the air on equipment and climbing high voltage poles—all in adverse weather conditions, among debris, while being physically and mentally tired. The hazards often seem overwhelming to us, which is why we work so hard every single day, all year long, to provide everything that our employees need to perform our work safely and efficiently. This includes proper tools, well-maintained equipment, proper training, sound communication, good safety processes and procedures, a well built and well maintained electrical distribution system and, most of all, a strong culture of good safety habits, processes, procedures and protocols that protect our employees. We appreciate the consistent support from our board of directors to continue this culture of safety and education.

How do you approach storm damage? How do you decide what gets attention first?

Lynn: Our initial reaction and response in a storm situation is to quickly assess exactly what is “out” and what areas have been affected. That assessment is typically being done as YEC personnel are reporting to work. All electric utilities perform restoration efforts in a similar fashion. First, we work to restore main lines or feeders and main circuits, thus restoring service to the most members at one time as quickly as possible. Taps, or lines off the main feeders and circuits are assessed and repaired next. Performing restoration efforts in this manner has proven, time and again, power is restored faster for the entire electric system and all affected members.

Mending the Mess

YEC linemen documented the hazards they encountered before mending the mess to get the lights back on for members as quickly and safely as possible.

Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 through Nov. 30, is officially here, and forecasters with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predict a “near-normal” year with nine to 15 named storms packing winds of 39 mph or higher. Meteorologists say as many as four of the storms could become dangerous Category 3, 4 or 5 hurricanes with winds of 111 mph or higher.

As the guardians of the state’s largest utility network—more than 75,000 miles of electric distribution lines serving 1.5 million people across all 46 counties—South Carolina’s not-for-profit electric cooperatives have emergency plans in place to deal with violent weather should a hurricane threaten the Palmetto State. Along with the South Carolina Emergency Management Division (SCEMD), co-ops urge all state residents to have their own plans in place to protect friends, family, pets and property. Here are some useful resources:

SC Emergency Manager mobile app

Available for free in the Apple App Store and on Google Play, this handy app links users to every SCEMD resource they need before, during and after a storm, including evacuation and shelter maps and planning checklists. It even has a useful “tools” function that turns your smartphone into an emergency flashlight, signaling device and a GPS locator.

SCEMD.org

No smartphone? No problem. All of the app’s planning resources, maps and links to the latest emergency information are available on SCEMD.org. In the case of a hurricane (or any natural disaster), SCEMD will update the site to provide the best real-time information users need.

2019 South Carolina Hurricane Guide

From both the website and the app, you can download SCEMD’s 2019 South Carolina Hurricane Guide, a comprehensive 14-page booklet filled with tips and resources. To access the guide online, visit scemd.org/media/1416/2019-hurricane-guide_website.pdf.

South Carolina Living Storm Center

South Carolina Living’s storm center pages are filled with information to help co-op members prepare for and survive natural disasters. Readers will find useful how-to guides on building a storm kit, evacuating with pets, staying safe when power lines are down, and how to report power outages. There’s even a live, statewide outage map to track the storm damage and the status of repairs in co-op-served territories. See all the resources at SCLiving.coop/storm-center.

Source: South Carolina Living Magazine